Fallen Future:: II ::Probation
by Emperor Andross
Summary: Obi-Wan has returned to the Jedi under probation and hopes that he can leave the past behind him for good. But trouble is once again brewing in the galaxy—and he faces an enemy in a young Jedi Padawan who's sworn to never let him live down his mistakes...
1. C h a p t e r O N E

**[ Probation]**

- _Second part of the five part Fallen Future alternate series. After six months of probation, Obi-Wan still cannot find peace with in himself, tasked with aiding Master Windu with negotiations into the Trade Federation's Board's apparent takeover of a remote republic world, he is immersed once again in a battle against the Forces of the dark side as he is confronted with the son of an old enemy. Things go from bad to worse when as part of the follow up, he is dispatched to the Planet of Sor'udeina - the planet that he was born on - to look into the possible resurfacing of an ancient Sith artefact._

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**Forward: **I'm back! well actually I've never been far away, but I was writing a StarFox instead, but... sniff... No one seemed to like it, I only got 1 review... anyway that aside I'm back to torture Obi-Wan some more! Just kidding, I tortured him enough in the last one, now I'm here to pick up the pieces. This Story has a bit of a different mood to it so I hope that you'll all still enjoy. I must say I believe it's got more to do with me beginning to mature as a writer... at least I hope it is... Anyhoo, enough talk. You guys all know the score: go and read the previous story just because I tell you rather than because you actually need to know what's going on... (Yeah right) and read and review, If you got flames I'm big enough and ugly enough to just use them to keep my hands warm through the chilly Victorian winter weather. Any questions? Ask away and I'll answer them, even if you don't necessarily like the answer I give... **I own Stuff all, that's the _guy in the flannel shirt_'s domain...** Wow, does this guy shut up? yes just let me thank everyone who read and reviewed my last story, this sequel is for you! now on with the show!**

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**Dramatis Personae**

Obi-Wan Kenobi - Human male - Jedi Knight

Darra Thel-Tanis - Human female - Jedi Initiate

Qui-Gon Jinn - Human male - Jedi Master

Anakin Skywalker - Human male - Jedi Padawan

Ohruddyn Kenobi - Human female - Senatorial Aide

Granta Omega - Human Male - Sith Conspirator

Mace Windu - Human male - High Jedi Master

Yoda - Unknown male - Grand Jedi Master

Siri Tachi - Human female - Jedi Knight

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-Probation-

C H A P T E R - O N E

**DARKNESS**

_-"Why can't things go back to the way they were... will nothing ever be the same?"__**—Obi-Wan Kenobi**_

The Higher reaches of Coruscant were a pleasant place for most people, the gleaming towers of Permacrete and Transparisteel were among the most lavish in the known Galaxy, for the well bread dignitaries and influential businessmen and women it was like a huge permanent convention, each moment another chance to meet someone with the potential to further their business' or their own interests. The grade of cliental that the planet wide city kept in its upper levels was fixed by the incredible prices of the apartments and restaurants, recreations and some less savoury pursuits, making it impossible to live there unless you where very rich, or very influential.

The man known as Darth Sidious was both.

Not that he flaunted either of those facts. Infact, as a Sith Lord the less people who actually knew about either the better as far as he was concerned. His vast wealth was kept locked up under false names or in the care of trusted wardens, and while his influence included the Chancellor's office and more than half the senate either directly or indirectly, very few people knew about the fact.

All in all it was a damn good position to be in for someone who was trying to take over the Galaxy, but therein lay his problem. It was imperative that he didn't lose that position now, and that rested entirely in the hands of a certain Jedi Knight.

Obi-Wan Kenobi had definitely been one of his biggest failures, he had gotten far too liberal in the end with how much he had told the young man in his created persona of Ken Ibonek; sure that he could deal with him if the need arose. But Kryan had gotten greedy, rather than killing him the moment that he had come to him, he had tried to get him to kill the Senator from Sor'udeina, which had worked up until the point that the brainwashed Jedi had realised that Kryan was setting him up.

Thus the entire Slave Trading empire of Kryan had faced the unquenchable rage of a dark Jedi, and Sidious had to admit, he _had_ trained Kenobi well, the young man had single handedly taken down the entire organization, more or less walking straight through multiple guards armed to the teeth without so much as a scratch, killing Kryan and incapacitating the Jedi under cover there who was meant to do the same thing.

Then, as if to further his bad day, the Jedi hadn't even managed to kill him, instead he had been _'redeemed'_ by the thrice damned former master of his, Qui-Gon Jinn. Nor had subsequent attempts to eliminate him been successful, and so now Sidious' entire operation was put on hold while he waited to see whether or not the broken, pathetic excuse for a Jedi Knight could put 2 and 2 together and get 4. But it had been six months since that fateful day, and so far nothing had happened, Sidious allowed himself to believe that he had gotten away with his closest escape yet. Already he had begun re-establishing his plans with Lord Tyranus, putting events in motion that wouldn't come to fruition for years. But come to fruition they would. Plunging the galaxy into his grip for good and destroying the incredibly annoying Jedi Order, and if he played his cards right, giving him the most powerful apprentice that the galaxy had ever seen, Anakin Skywalker.

The boy was incredibly talented, more so than even the legendary Darth Bane had been, more powerful that Yoda, even more powerful—though he was loathe to admit it—than himself. He had been tempted, when he had first created Ken Ibonek, to secretly train him as an apprentice, but even lost and confused the boy was too firmly entrenched in the 'Light side of the Force' that the Jedi clung to so pathetically. Even without knowing 'better', the boy had doubted, shown hesitation and weakness, all things that were unacceptable in a Sith Lord, who needed to be strong and decisive. No, Kenobi had been a useful tool, but nothing more. He had secured the entire knowledge of the Jedi on the Sith—which Sidious was both proud and grateful to know, wasn't very much, but couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit disappointed at the same time. It would have felt so much better to crush the Jedi being worthy opposition, rather than the pathetic ditherers that they were.

Out of the entire organization, only perhaps a handful of Jedi could hope to challenge him, Mace Windu, Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn through shear talent, and maybe Cin Drallig if it came down to a pure dual, otherwise only Kenobi out of their regrettable association and thus his slim knowledge of him. Then there was Skywalker of course, but the trick was to make sure he was safely out of the way when the time came, either as his apprentice, or dead in the war that he hoped would kill off the others. But that was a matter for a closer time, a lot had to happen between now and then, and for the moment he needed to focus on the things that needed his immediate attention, if he got to far in front of himself, he would leave dreadful holes in his plan that would be just _asking_ for a Jedi to go sticking his bib into it.

Instead he felt it was time to give Tyranus the green light, the go ahead to begin his Separatist Movement, his Confedery, which would ultimately send the Galaxy into chaos as the Republic and Tyranus' movement clashed together in war. He had to admit that it was a stroke of brilliance that had been hundreds of years in the making, his Sith had spent sometimes their entire lives plotting out their revenge against the Jedi, meticulous in every detail. Until finally it had come to him and his master, Darth Plagueis. His master had at Sidious' own encouragement began using his wisdom to cut down on the lengths of time the plan was previously using, reducing a several century long build up to one of merely a hundred or so years, still it was more than he wanted to wait, so after killing his master, Sidious had worked at cutting down the plan even further—to within his own lifetime.

And thus he had set about putting himself into a position of power, or rather more power since he was already pretty powerful as far as things went, using his former apprentice, Darth Maul to help engineer the Naboo crisis, putting himself in direct control over the senate. No one would guess that Palpatine, the likable, approachable leader of the Republic was actually just a piece in a millennia long war with the Jedi. That they _all_ were.

And the event had also given him one more blessing in disguise. It had gotten rid of the highly unstable Maul, who while being powerful had no regard for the years of work that had gone into getting them to the position that they were. Sidious was not one to just wait out his life doing absolutely nothing like some of his predecessors had, but he had the patience of eternity next to Maul who was constantly champing at the bit, wanting to take on the whole Jedi Order in a blaze of glory. Sidious was not so fool, the Jedi may be weak, but they far out numbered the Sith, any attempt to combat them directly was doomed for failure and he knew it. Their fall had to be structured carefully so that by the time that they realised what was happening it was too late.

No, all in all he was better with Tyranus who although still had lingering ties to his past ideals, at least knew the virtues of patience. Also, his newest apprentice was far more charismatic, capable of pulling off the feat that Sidious had devised the moment he had seen him. Where's instead of centuries of slowly drawing the galaxy into darkness, Sidious planned to use Tyranus to help engineer a war from both sides, allowing him full control over how it progressed, and finally allow himself to step out into the open as the much beloved and respected Emperor of the galaxy. It was a glorious dream; made better by the fact that he knew that it was the Jedi's worst nightmare. And it was just out of his grasp; but before long he would snatch it out of the air, _then_ he would have finally gotten the Sith's well earned revenge.

With a last sigh he pushed his thoughts away, even amidst the thoughts of ultimate success, he couldn't let his guard slip, if he did for even one second the Jedi would sense him, ruining decades of hard work, so putting on a more pleasant façade, he contacted his receptionist. "Send in my first appointment would you, my dear."

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Thats supposed to be a starship... oh well...

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Master Yoda watched steely as once again he found himself and the council discussing an all too common issue; Obi-Wan Kenobi. Once again the issue of whether he still needed to be on probation or not had come up, and yet again they were getting nowhere. So far the Knight had displayed no ill-effects from his time as a brainwashed Dark Jedi, except that he was more often than not depressed. He completed his missions most capably and Master Windu who had accompanied him on most his missions to oversee him had little more to do than just that, oversee.

And yet perhaps the most worrying thing was also the simplest, Obi-Wan Kenobi had not touched a lightsaber since his return to the temple, not even for practice. That was what worried Yoda the most; it suggested that he still wasn't healing on the inside. He wanted to distance himself from the destruction he had caused, and so he blamed the most obvious part of the problem, the part that had actually done the damage, the lightsaber.

And yet it was crucial that he wielded the weapon again so that he realised that the weapon could be used for good just as easily as it could be wielded for evil, otherwise he would never recover. And until he had, Yoda was reluctant to let the young Knight go out by himself lest he relieve some suppressed memory in the midst of some fight or crucial debate, the effects of such an occurrence could, at worst, affect the entire galaxy.

And some on the council still saw the distant but distinct possibility that his brush with the darkside that he had experienced as Ken Ibonek would make him more susceptible to its influence in the future.

This thought was not something that had slipped his attention, he himself had frequently espoused the view that 'Once you start down the Path Of Shadow, forever will it dominate your destiny.' This was not technically true since many Jedi had turned to the darkside and been redeemed later. But it was Yoda's opinion that the same person could not be loving and selfless one day and heartless and hateful the next—at some point the being had to _decide_ to stop being a Jedi and cast aside their teachings, and when that happened, they stopped being the person they where before, becoming a spectre of terror. Seen in that light, if the person turned back, they were effectively reborn, becoming who they were originally, to that end, like all addictions you had to want to give up the darkside, meaning that you where no more likely, possibly less likely infact than the next fellow. But Yoda didn't explain that to the others, they interpreted the expression in their own way; as was their right. _His_ master, after all had seen it in the far more literal term, and had been very forthright about the fact, often avoiding people who had even touched the darkside.

"Pointless this arguing is." Said Yoda as the masters in front of him began debating the pros and cons of realising Kenobi upon the galaxy as it were. The rest of the council fel silent in an instant, turning to him.

"Only one way to know, there is." He continued having gotten their attention, "Test young Obi-Wan we will."

"What kind of test did you have in mind?" Asked Mace from the seat to his left.

"The Trade Federation, the cause of his captivity they indirectly were. Anger will Obi-Wan have against them if anger he will."

"You are suggesting sending him to Carreg?" asked Adi Gallia from across the room.

"I don't like it, Master Yoda." Added Mace with a frown, "Remember Xanatos and Telos. There is no reason to go looking to provoke Kenobi…"

"Remember Telos I do!" snapped Yoda, "But 'know we must,' you all say! But know when, hmm? Sooner? Or later?"

"I agree." Said Ki-Adi-Mundi from his other side, "If there is any point finding out, we should do it now while we can still do something about it."

Yoda caught the double meaning behind the other master's words and wondered if anything was meant by them, but he was confident that young Obi-Wan would not turn, he was just too light. Then he frowned, but then he hadn't thought that Xanatos would turn either, and look what had happened there. _'Old I am getting, make more mistakes I do.' _He thought unhappily.

After several seconds of waiting and realising that he wasn't going to get further comment, Mace as the chairman of the Council spoke up, "We will put it to a vote. All in favour of sending Kenobi to Carreg for a final test…?" a murmur off assent ran around the room. "Very well, then by order of the council, Kenobi will go to Carreg." Yoda took special interest in Mace's choice of words, but did not mention it. Or at least not until after the meeting had finished; Mace stayed behind as usual to write out the Jedi's assignments as they had decided them in the council meeting.

Slowly getting out of his chair Yoda began to tap across the floor towards the door, but he stopped as he passed Mace. "Order of the council, not Will of the Force?" he questioned softly.

"Ah, yes, I thought you might pick up on that." Nodded Mace looking up from his data pad, "I'm not convinced he's ready. He still blames himself for what he's done, even though we all know he had little control over his actions…"

"Beg to differ he would." Pointed out Yoda.

"Yes I know, that's part of the problem. Most of the temple has come up to him at some point or another and said that they understand his circumstances and think no less—or little less at any rate—of him… Well all minus a certain _somebody_ of course." The certain somebody that Mace referred to was a twelve year-old initiate named Darra Thel-Tanis who seemed to have decided that it was her mission in life to heckle Obi-Wan at every opportunity, particularly the less fortunate ones, and as the squeaky door gets the oil, it was doing little for Obi-Wan's state of self assurance.

"Tried to warn her off, we have." Stated Yoda.

"I know." Said Mace, it was his humble opinion that if the council and the rest of the orders knights and masters could attempt to forgive Obi-Wan that should be good enough for a twelve year old girl, even if he did kill her prospective master. "But all its done has made sure she never does it when there's a master around and you know what Kenobi's like, Qui-Gon assured me that he said he thought half the temple was after him. Frankly the girl's lucky that he's not a tenth as dangerous as she says he is, or he would have flattened her many times over now."

"True this unfortunately is." Nodded Yoda glumly. "Curb her thoughts she must, or sent to a Service Corp. she will be."

"She turns thirteen in two weeks anyway." Commented Mace, "And Obi-Wan and I are about to depart to Carreg, If we can keep the two separate for as much of the rest of the time as possible it will cease to be an issue. As horrible as it sounds." No one liked sending the initiates off to the Service Corps; it was heart breaking to see their desolate faces as they were shipped away, but the reality was that very few Padawans where selected after they reached thirteen—for whatever reason—and at least in the Service Corps they were productive, and they did not have to watch their friends go around everyday being a constant reminder of what they had failed to achieve. And all in all it was better than just releasing them out onto the streets…

Mace mentally shook himself back onto topic "But that's not the point anyway, the point is that Obi-Wan won't even pick up a lightsaber let alone admit that maybe he had a bit less to do with the events than he thinks."

Yoda sighed reaching out into the force, as always, it answered back, though perhaps not as strongly as it had a few years ago, dimly, Yoda wondered if that had something to do with his considerable age. At last, he pulled away with his answer, thanking the force for its assistance as he did so, "Recover Obi-Wan will, just perhaps not the way we are thinking." He told the Korun Master, and then with that he strolled off, the tapping of his cane fading as he disappeared from sight.

Mace had a slight smirk; Yoda would always remain both an idol and an enigma to other Jedi as long as he was around; of that he was sure.

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**That nice big greeny coloured button is the review button... please press it.**


	2. C h a p t e r T W O

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]

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**WhyMustIWrite - Most of that will be reviled in this chapter, and all will be reviled eventually.**

**Granviel - In my opinion this story is better than the previos one, so you'll eather love it, or hate it.**

**Bladeandroses - Oh yes, he blaims himself. But I think Yoda's compensated by his extra wisdom and knowledge of the Force.**

MasterOfDisaster** - As you wish, so I shall deliver.**

**The Reaper55 - Your view will been taken into consideration and will be put to my expert team of advisers. (:-))**

**FranciscoF - yes he does; it's one of his more unfortunate characteristics, but a rather endearing one**

** I must say its good to have you all back on board.

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-Probation-

C H A P T E R - T W O

**A New Mission**

_-"Poor Obi-Wan, I don't know why he won't cut himself a break sometimes…"__—**Siri Tachi**_

Siri Tachi watched with a hint of pride as she watched her new Padawan fight in one of the Temple's training salon. Ferus Olin was a skilled Padawan—one of the few that could consistently hold his own and even win against Anakin Skywalker. Siri was of the personal opinion that he was a bit too much of a blind follower of the Jedi Code, but she knew that was something that would come with mission experience as he realized that the code could not be applied in every situation. She also felt that it would be better to start with a Padawan that followed the code too closely rather than one who—like the aforementioned Anakin Skywalker—seemed to delight in finding any and every way he could not fit in with it.

Her Padawan's opponent was the red headed Darra Thel-Tanis who seemed to have been on everyone's worry list recently. She had heard some of the things that the young girl had been saying about Obi-Wan and she'd been sorely tempted to knock the stuffing out of the girl. Obi-Wan had more than once spoken to her in tears, telling her about the 'talk in the Temple' and how _everyone_ distrusted him. And Siri had found out from her own enquiries that everybody could essentially be whittled down to _one_ person, exceedingly regularly—namely Darra.

In any case, the constant snubs and cheap shots in the corridors where the last thing needed by a man already doubting himself and his place in the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan's mental self-esteem was dubious at best and it was certainly not going to improve as long as he felt that other people were blaming him; he blamed himself enough as it was.

Realising that she was slipping back into her rather nasty looking Zora scowl, she shook her head and tried to put her mind back on the fight. Darra, who from what Siri had heard had been considered one of the more promising duellists in the current crop of initiates, seemed to have thrown her form out the window, seeming more and more undisciplined and desperate every time that she saw her.

The girl attacked wildly with aggressive overhead strikes followed by shorter nips that just seemed to be thrown in at random. Ferus on the other hand answered in an impenetrable and elegant display of Form III: Soresu, each counter-strike being kept to the minimum effort, efficiently staying a mere fraction of a second in front of his opponent.

Siri personally was more of a fan of Form V, or Shein as it was otherwise known. But then she had always been considered more 'intense' than most Jedi by her peers, where's Ferus had earned himself the nickname of the 'Perfect Jedi Protégé'. At that moment, Siri felt a slight flicker through the Force as Obi-Wan Kenobi slipped into the training room behind her.

"Are you by any chance here to finally start practice on your lightsaber form again?" she whispered sarcastically as he stepped up behind her.

"Actually, I was just looking for you." He whispered back with subtle humour. Siri looked him up and down out of the corner of her eye, from the outside—like many depressed people that Siri had met—he seemed completely normal, like their times of old as Padawans. Even through the Force he seemed happy enough; albeit rather muted. It was only when you looked in to his eyes that you saw the immense pain that he was going through at each moment of the day.

"I wish you were," she hissed back, "Returning to lightsaber combat would help you more than I can."

Obi-Wan's face turned stony, "I am firm on my decision, Siri. I will _never_ wield a lightsaber again in my life!"

"We'll see." Muttered back Siri, still keeping her eyes on the fight in front of her. Though the two had both admitted that they still loved each other, they had agreed that it would be perilous to try and pursue a relationship while the both of them where still rather 'emotionally unstable' as the healers would eloquently put it—both of them still recovering from respective traumas; Siri from her under cover mission in the Slave Trader Krayn's operation. And Obi-Wan from the atrocities he had committed while amnesia stricken. All they would achieve would be giving themselves away and probably thrown out.

Siri watched with a frown as Darra from the middle of the mat shot a look up at Obi-Wan hovering over her right shoulder, a second later Ferus sprang back as Darra tried an especially brutal swing at him, only to jump forward as she lost balance, stopping his blade a hair's breadth from her neck. "Well done, Ferus." Said Siri with a smile as the young man stepped back and brushed his limp hair out of his eyes. "You waited excellently for your opening to strike."

"Thank you, Master." Said Ferus with a touch of a smile and an unnecessary, faint bow. "Thank you for the match, Darra." He said with a bow to his opponent who was still staring coolly at Obi-Wan.

"Wha— yeah, no problem, Ferus." She said distantly as she walked toward the entrance, making to push past Siri and Obi-Wan. Siri grabbed her by the arm. "What is you preferred Form, Darra?" she asked, looking at her sternly.

"Niman." Replied the girl, pointing her chin.

"That didn't look like Form VI to me." Commented Siri, "It looked more like Form I on Spice." There, not very tactful, and she'd probably just made the two male 'Diplomats' in the room wince, but subtlety had never been one of her strong points and it got the message across.

Unfortunately, it rather backfired on her.

Darra's eyes slipped past Siri's to look directly at Obi-Wan, "Well maybe if a certain _somebody_ hadn't killed my Master, _she_ could have instructed me." She said matter-of-factly.

"Last I checked, you weren't her Padawan yet, she was merely considering you." Noted Siri, letting go of her arm, determined not to let the initiate get under her skin.

It was at that moment that Obi-Wan in his wisdom decided to speak up, "No one _will_ choose you as a Padawan if you continue to fight with such hate." Siri groaned; and she called _herself_un-diplomatic. "Stay out of this, Kenobi." She growled.

"Oh, so now you're giving me _advice_?" questioned Darra; eyes blazing as she completely ignored Siri's comment. "You kill my Master, kill four other Jedi, not to mention hundreds of other people. You make it virtually impossible for me to become a Jedi, and now you've got the gall to offer me _advice_?!"

"Darra!" hissed Ferus.

"Go jump, Ferus." Darra Snapped, not sparing him a glance before continuing with her triad, "This is entirely _your_ fault '_Master'_ Kenobi. You can stand there all high and mighty with you're braid gone and all that, but when it comes down to it you're just a murderer, common scum—" Darra's voice was cut off as Siri used the Force to shut her mouth.

"Those are words that you should _never_ use to describe any member of this order, young lady." Hissed Siri with palpable venom, "Especially a _superior_."

"The ranks of the Jedi Order are based on respect." Retorted Darra, "And I have none for Kenobi." With that she spun around in a flurry of hair and strode from the room.

Siri shot a meaningful look at Ferus who nodded and hurried after the wayward initiate, while she turned around to face Obi-Wan who had sat down heavily in the midst of the last verbal assault by Darra. "Are you alright?" asked Siri, sitting down cautiously beside him.

"What do you think?" asked Obi-Wan, turning his eyes toward her. The two blue orbs boring into Siri's until she had to turn away. "She's right you know." He mumbled, "I _have_ effectively ruined her life."

"Nonsense!" snorted Siri, "Yeah, okay, so it was a bit of a setback her prospective Master dying." She continued, deliberately avoiding saying 'you killing'. "But it's her choice to continuing acting this way."

"But…"

"Did Bant go on and on about how the world was evil and how she'd never get another master when what's-his-name killed Master Tahl?" cut in Siri, seeing where his train of thought was going. "No she mourned, she accepted, she moved on."

"We weren't exactly going and having drinks at the pub with Balog though."

"She doesn't have to be your best friend, she just has to accept that it wasn't _you_ who killed her Master… something that someone else here could do to remember as well." If Siri was hoping to draw a chuckle from Obi-Wan, even a reluctant one, she was sorely disappointed. Obi-Wan's eyes flashed and he looked at her intensely, "It's all good and well for people to keep telling me that, Siri. But I still see their faces as _I_ kill them, I still feel myself using the Force lightning, or swinging the lightsaber, or slowly choking the life out of them. I still live with the knowledge that I had full control over my actions; that I could have stopped and I didn't."

Siri looked at the floor. He was right of course, she was sure that she would feel the same… she _knew _that she _had_ felt the same, but at least on her mission, she'd known that ultimately she was helping her victims in the long run, though it hadn't seemed it at the time… Obi-Wan didn't have that luxury.

"I'm sorry." She said, pulling him into a hug as she saw unshed tears glistening in his eyes, "I'm sorry." Desperately he clung to her, as the tears fell at the memories of what he had done. Siri had endured several episodes of Obi-Wan breaking down like this she reflected as she rocked him gently. And she gathered that it had also happened similarly to Bant, Garen, Reeft and Qui-Gon. She wondered how many more such occasions there would be before he was fully healed.

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_It was supposed to be a lightsaber... until the fanFiction site got rid of half of it._

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Mace Windu strode through the corridors to one of the Temple's many training areas, using the Force to track down the errant presence of Obi-Wan. Distantly, he wondered why Kenobi was in one of the training areas since he rather doubted that he had suddenly just decided to pick up a lightsaber again for the first time in six months, but ultimately it didn't really matter. As long as he came at once.

A quick warning through the force was all that saved him from getting rather embarrassingly bowled over as a copper haired Jedi Initiate stormed around the corner, totally oblivious to anything in her path. Mace briefly considered reprimanding her as she stormed past but quickly decided that there would be little point—she already knew better and besides, she would be leaving for the Explorer Corps. soon anyway. Instead he just rolled his eyes as Darra Thel-Tanis disappeared around the next corner and hoped that her being in the same vicinity as Obi-Wan, was just mere coincidence.

"Darra wait!" Mace flattened himself against the wall again as Ferus Olin charged past, "Sorry Master Windu, I apologize for my behaviour." He managed to say, somehow managing to put in a bow as well without slowing down.

Mace shook his head in a bemused fashion as he once again continued on his way, keeping himself on the lookout for more wayward younglings. As it was, he arrived at his destination without any more distractions, only to be met with the sharp death glare of Siri Tachi from where she was comforting Kenobi, who seemed to have experienced a breakdown of some sort.

Blinking at the latest in his series of unusual experiences from over the last few minutes, Mace managed out a faint, "Bad time?"

Obi-Wan shot up straight as if he'd been hit with an electro-jabber, "I'm sorry, Master Windu! I didn't realize you were there."

Mace frowned, why did Kenobi always seem to think that he had done something wrong? "That's perfectly fine, Kenobi." He settled for saying in the end. "Look sorry, I'll come back later…"

"No!" said Obi-Wan forcefully, rising to his feet. "No, it's alright; I'm okay."

"I was just leaving." Said Tachi, slipping out after a brief glance between the two of them. Mace briefly nodded his head towards her in thanks before turning back to Obi-Wan. "The council has given you a new mission." He informed him, watching as he discreetly rubbed the last of the tears from his face with his sleave.

"Great. When do we leave?" asked Kenobi casually.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine." Mace wasn't convinced, but saw little point arguing about it, the rest of the council had decided to send Kenobi on this mission, and short of getting the healers to put an unfit for duty order on him (And Mace _really_ didn't want to owe the healers a favour), there wasn't a lot he could do about it. So instead he replied, "A couple of hours."

Obi-Wan nodded as he walked forward to Mace's side as they strolled from the room, "What's the mission profile?"

"We're going to Carreg, are you aware of the situation there?"

"No."

"The Trade Federation has always had a heavy presence there, but recently they've begun abusing that presence, they've used their battle droids to capture the Royal Palace and have placed the Royal Family under house arrest."

"Now why would they do that, that's a stupid thing to do." Said Obi-Wan furrowing his brow. "Are they making no demands? All that they'll achieve is brining the whole wait of the Republic against them. It's not like they've got a clean record."

"They were acquitted over the Naboo incident." Pointed out Mace.

"But they weren't cleared of it either, and those sorts of allegations stick, it's hardly like they're in the best public light over the incident." Argued Obi-Wan, "This won't improve their situation."

"Quite." Agreed Mace, happy with Kenobi's response. He hadn't shown any anger directed at the Trade Federation, merely confusion. "That's why we're going, publicly to negotiate, privately to find out who is behind this latest move. And why the Neimoidians seem just as frightened as the Carregith. So it'll be negotiation primarily, but with the possibility of escalation to violence. I'd take you're lightsaber if I were you." Obi-Wan nodded slowly "I'm sick of telling everyone that I'll never use a lightsaber again." He commented.

"A lightsaber is a tool, as well as a weapon." Pointed out Mace, "And besides, you're not much use as a Jedi if you're dead." He added dryly.

"Maybe not, but more use than I would be if I turn back to the Darkside." Obi-Wan countered.

"Then don't turn." Stated Mace simply. "One _chooses_ to use the Darkside, it doesn't just happen. I know as well as anyone that the Darkside is very tempting, but I _choose_ to not use it, and so I don't. As long as you're will is strong Kenobi, you will never fail."

"The only obstacle is your mind." Said Obi-Wan, reiterating one of the earliest lessons learned by prospective Jedi with a ghost of a smile.

"Exactly." Said Mace, relieved that he seemed to comprehend what he was saying.

"I'm still not going to take my lightsaber though."

Mace could have groaned.

* * *

/\

/-+-\

/_=_=_\

_Sith Holocron_

* * *

"Hey Darra wait up!" Darra slowed to a walk as Ferus caught up to her.

"What do you want?" she asked impatiently.

"I want you to stop this ridiculous vendetta against Obi-Wan Kenobi; It's destroying you!" said Ferus earnestly.

"You're just like everybody else." Exclaimed Darra, resuming her march again. "How can everybody forgive him and pretend that it didn't happen? He killed five of us! Including Master Antara and…"

"And now you're killing yourself."

"Oh and I'm sure that the council is _really_ concerned about a little Initiate." Argued Darra sarcastically, "What ever it is in Kenobi that they see evidently out ways anyone else's opinion on the subject…"

"You seem to be the only one with a particularly big problem with it." Pointed out Ferus.

"With good reason! The man is dangerous, even Yoda's always saying that 'once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny'. Why does that not seem to apply here? No one can kill five Jedi and turn back just like that!"

"He lost his memories, Darra! these things…

"So everybody says! But how do we know he did lose his memories, we've got no ones word but his own…"

"Listen to yourself Darra, you're obsessed!" cried Ferus, "You keep trying to justify your reasons but the fact is that you just want to hate him because he killed Master Antara!"

"Maybe I do! And maybe my anger is reasonably justified!"

"I'm afraid _Master_ Kenobi is right about one thing, your anger is the reason that no one has taken you as their Padawan." Shot Ferus, it was a low blow he knew, but nothing else seemed to have worked so far. "You had Knights almost queuing to take you on. Now you're so angry all the time that they steer clear of you. You can't blame Kenobi for that, _you've_ changed."

For a moment Ferus thought that he'd gone too far and that Darra might slap him. But with a slight shrug she clearly announced, "I can blame Kenobi for whatever I want. Come a couple of weeks and it won't matter anyway. I'll be thirteen and shipped off to the Agri-corps or whatever fate the Reassignment Council hand me."

"And what about your friends? Darra? What about Anakin? What about Lawrence? What about Tru? What about me?"

"Just leave me alone Ferus." Said Darra tiredly, turning down a side corridor, and walking away. "I just want to be left alone."

Ferus sighed heavily as he watched her walk away. She used to be such a happy character, always smiling and ready to be a friend, and for a moment he too was tempted to hate Obi-Wan Kenobi were it not for his Jedi training. Though indirectly and unwittingly, the young Knight had also killed someone _he_ knew closely. He had killed Darra.

* * *

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_Obi-Wan's Episode 1 & 2 lightsaber. (if you squint)  
_

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Obi-Wan walked across the temple hanger, his light brown cloak swirling behind him. He had deliberately chosen the lightest coloured cloak that the temple had in stock upon his return to the temple, and his tunics were an unobtrusive cream; anything to distance himself from the Darkside. Everyday he was assaulted with images from the three years that he'd been Ken Ibonek. Sometimes all it took was the colour red and all the images came rushing back. The people he had killed, the lives that he had ruined. It was like looking at an endless stream of crime scene photos, and everyone was labelled with the murderer. him.

One of the first things that he had first done when he had been able to leave the healers ward, was to apologise to those that had been close to the ones he'd killed. Everywhere he went he was met with the same response, the assured him that his apologies were unnecessary—that they didn't really blame him. But each time he had seen the pain in their eyes, and had known that they didn't really mean it… how could they? How could you forgive someone who had killed the one who trained you? Who had killed your best friend? But out of all the Jedi that he had gone to see, only one continued to blame him outright, Darra Thel-Tanis was always only too happy to remind him of what he had done, and sometimes he almost resented her for it. But then he would remember that he _had_ killed her Master; that he _had_ killed her only chance of becoming a Jedi, and then he would only feel pain and sorrow for her. And that only seemed to anger her further, as if she thought the one whom she blamed should strong enough to take the blame and not be reduced to a sobbing mess as he had on numerous occasions.

As he had with Siri only hours before.

The other thing that concerned him was that he knew that the council could only tolerate so much, and if he couldn't pull his act together eventually he would be expelled. And he didn't want to be expelled. He wanted to be a Jedi, to be able to atone for what he had done, he wanted to be in the temple with his former Master Qui-Gon, and Anakin who treated him like an older brother despite—or maybe because of—the grievous wounds that they had inflicted on each other. He wanted to be with his friends who had never given up hope on him, Bant, Garen, Reeft. And he wanted to be with Siri. Maybe someday the two of them would be at last able to freely express their feelings to each other, at least to themselves.

But then everyday he would wake after seeing Krayn's blistered flesh, or after seeing Master Antara's head rolling from her corpse, or relive slicing through slaves as though the were the trash that Krayn and his elk treated them as.

And it was on those occasions that the festering Darkside grew in him and whispered promises that he could banish the paw on his soul if only he gave in and submitted to it. If Obi-Wan had believed that it _could_ help him, he might have done it.

But it was this constant gnawing that prevented him from picking up a lightsaber again, he couldn't take the risk of the destruction he could cause with the weapon.

"Kenobi, you paying attention to where you're going?" asked a voice, shaking him from his thoughts. He looked up to the head of the ramp to see his probation officer—Master Windu again.

"Uh… Just thinking, Master Windu."

"So, you really _haven't_ brought your lightsaber, again."

"No, Master Windu."

Master Windu groaned, "You will never heal if you don't face yourself, Kenobi."

"I have faced myself—"

"Then why are you still afraid? Why do you still find yourself guilty? Tell me Obi-Wan, would you feel guilty if you witnessed someone walk into a room and summarily shoot someone in the head?"

"Not unless I could have stopped them…" Obi-Wan began before realising what Master Windu was getting at.

"And explain how to me you were able to stop the killings of the Jedi in this temple, or how you would have stopped the slaughter of Senator Jodukeh?" Exclaimed the council member, "You're being unreasonable about this."

Obi-Wan ignored him, "Lets go." He said, walking up the ramp past him. It was quite rude, but then he was sick of everyone trying to absolve him of guilt when he knew that he had every right to feel guilty. Behind him he heard Master Windu follow him up behind him with a heavy sigh.

"So you're in charge as usual, Kenobi. What's your plan?"

"Easy, they don't know there's two of us right?"

"I don't believe so, no."

"Then you the impressive master of the Jedi Council will present to them to begin 'negotiations'." said Obi-Wan as he slipped into the pilot seat and powered up the ship, "While I, the far less impressive and noticeable knight, sneak into the offices and try to work out why they're there."

"You don't want to take the negotiating role? I thought that was what you prided yourself on these days."

"I can't say I'm particularly impressed by the Trade Federation's morals; I might say something I'd regret."

"You just want to save yourself from the stench of the Neimoidian's."

"Well, there is always that." Smiled Obi-Wan, "But then I didn't realize Council members were allowed to say things like that."

"Usually we can say whatever we want, we just choose not to; we do set a precedent for the rest of the Order after…"

"True." Nodded Obi-Wan, as he expertly manoeuvred their starship out of the hanger and into the upper atmosphere, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he entered in the hyperspace co-ordinates and let the Navicomputer plot their jump, "I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this." He muttered.

"Maybe you should have brought your lightsaber after all." Commented Master Windu as he leaned nonchalantly back in his seat. Obi-Wan groaned. Just then the Navicomputer completed its course plotting with a tone, and Obi-Wan pulled the hyperspace leaver sending them streaking into the stars.

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, I had a distinct lack of inspiration, it was a real struggle to get it finished. But here it is at last, there will be some action soon, For those of you who want to see Jango, it shall be a little while until I put him in, but Obi-Wan will think of him more than once. Siri's and Obi-Wan's relationship will not really develop a lot more until later in the series, this episode focuses more on Obi-Wan's relationship with Anakin and Qui-Gon, and some of the more persistent OC's from the last story, it also focuses on Obi-Wan's mental healing, and in the end, putting a romance into this part of the series just didn't seem appropriate. But have no fear Obi/Siri fans, it will happen eventually. Patience.**


	3. C h a p t e r T H R E E

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]

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**WhyMustIWrite - I'm glad that you liked it, I think that sometimes when people write about characters falling to the dark side, they don't go into enough detail about the recovery process, which is understandable since mostly the being redeemed is the end point in the story rather than the beginning point. I think that looking back now, (And I mean that from the point of view that I have the whole story penned out in my head) that Darra is a bit too out of character... but then if you think about how much pressure the Jedi Initiates are under to be chosen as a padawan, being about to be chosen and then having your master your master killed before they can would be devastating--proverbially like having your fiancée killed in the middle of the wedding or something. so perhaps its not too overblown, and the Story really does need someone to fuel Obiwan's doubt.**

**Xaja_Silversheen - Soon, yes and you should go and do so. (glares with scary face)**

**Gravniel - thankyou, here it is.**

**Master of the Obvious 7 - I did have that idea for a 70's Luke in a story set in about 50-55 ABY, though in that case his lightsaber hilt was concealed in the top of the stick so that he could still use it if he had too. I should have another look at that story of mine at some point, mind you I made it seven years ago now, so some bits would be a bit... ugh. but sorry, I can't see Obiwan with that look--not in this story at any rate.**

**Geri K - Just remember, Mace is there to oversee Obiwan's probation not to train him. He still offers advice as a friend, but technically Obi-Wan has already been knighted.**

**Nxkris - maybe. He _will_ get a solo mission at some point in this story.**

**Thankyou to everyone for reviewing--This has been a rather difficult chapter to sit down and write for some reason, and most of it was written in the obscene hours of the morning, there for, if anyone notices any problems (such as plot holes, spelling or typos) please point them out.  
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-Probation-

C H A P T E R - T H R E E

**Carreg**

_-"What part of 'I don't want to use a lightsaber again' do people not understand?"__**—Obi-Wan Kenobi**_

Obi-Wan shook his head in perverse amusement. No matter how many missions he went on, it never ceased to amaze him how quickly the seeming perfect plan could go down the drain.

Master Windu had been captured.

The first part of the plan had gone off without a hitch, the two had arrived on the planet and Master Windu had immediately disembarked and had followed the welcoming committee on to meet the King and the Trade Federation's regional chairman. As the two had agreed, Master Windu would be taking control of the negotiations. Meanwhile Obi-Wan had stayed back in the shuttle, not allowing anyone to know of his presence. At last when the coast was clear, he snuck out and using the Force to leap up to a higher entrance, searched for the palace's central data bank.

Unfortunately when he found it, the data bank didn't reveal much at all. The usual meticulous records of the Neimoidians left no indication as to _why_ they had taken control of the planet, merely that they had. There were also no records of unusual transmission activity in the last few weeks up to the invasion. Oddly enough though, there had been no transmissions made since the occupation had begun, except for one message—always precisely ten minutes long—at exactly the same time every day. Something about that fact disturbed Obi-Wan, though he couldn't put his finger on exactly why.

But it was enough to raise his suspicions for the Carreggians themselves, It was entirely possible that _they_ had forced the Trade Federation to land here and 'take over' the city. But to what ends? Sympathy in the senate? It didn't seem very plausible, but then neither did spontaneously deciding to take control of an allied planet.

Another thing that worried Obi-Wan was the fact that this situation bore vast similarity to Naboo, if there had been a third, unknown party there, there could certainly be one here—he just hoped it wasn't the Sith again.

It had been then that his comlink had beeped. Unclipping it from his belt and answering it, he had been met by the sounds of battle droids, "Keep moving, Jedi."

Obi-Wan had frozen, wondering how in the galaxy they'd known he was there. Then a second voice had transmitted across the connection, that of Master Windu, "You don't seriously think that you can keep a Jedi prisoner do you?"

"Quiet you!" the battle droid again, "Cooperate or..."

"Or the King and Queen die, yeah I got it."

"Hey captain, should this light be on here?" wined another battle droid.

"Wha— No. I don't think so… Aw, who cares? Just blast it."

"Roger, Roger." The communication cut off with a fizz of static. It didn't take a genius to work out that the comlink had just been fried. Nor was it lost that Master Windu had been the one to switch it on. He was sending him a message, clear and simple; _I've been captured. Continue the mission. Protect the King and Queen._

Obi-Wan frowned. Unfortunately it wasn't that simple. Mace Windu had gone with Obi-Wan on all of his missions while he was on probation; he had become a good friend, almost like a surrogate Master. Obi-Wan couldn't just leave him in a holding cell, even if there was little chance of anything actually happening to the Councillor. Besides that, Master Windu was unaware of his recent suspicions to the nature of the mission—he didn't know that making a move now before he knew more about the situation could be disastrous.

So he had decided to spring Master Windu from his cell first and work out how to salvage the mission later.

The first thing he had done was to send a message to the Jedi Temple, asking for backup, before switching on his homing beacon. The second had been to download a map from the Palace Databank. And now it was this map he used as he crept along the roof of the east wing of the palace, climbing amongst the cooling towers and ventilation ducts. He could feel Master Windu's presence just a little further ahead and below him, predictably enough in the prison area if the map was anything to go by. Slipping his holoprojector back into its pouch on his belt, he pulled the outer case off one of the many ventilation outlets and slid into the air duct, hitting the bottom with a slight clang.

Crouching down he once again pulled out his holoprojector and activated it. The blue glow lit up his tunnel as he carefully examined the map, trying to pinpoint exactly where he was. Eventually deciding that he must be somewhere above the Palace Guard's Recreation Room, he began to crawl along through the air duct, a steady breeze at his face as he made is way down towards the very back of the dungeons, where they would almost certainly be holding the captive Jedi.

He moved his hand forward in the gloom and placed it down only to find no ground in front of him, wobbling slightly on the edge of the precipice, he caught himself with the Force and sat backwards on his ankles, whacking his head on the low ceiling in the process.

Cursing while rubbing his head, he once again activated his holoprojector, using the blue glow of the map to examine where the ground had gone.

The answer was quite simple; the ventilation shaft turned and went down vertically.

The drop wasn't really that far, only two or three metres—he could see the glint of the metal—it really wasn't something he wanted to go down head first. And there wasn't enough room to turn around, he would have to back up until he reached the exhaust vent and turn around there, a good twenty metres.

With a groan, knowing that there was nothing else for it, he crawled backwards up the tunnel until he reached the hole in the roof and stood up, lowering himself down again, this time with his feet first. Pushing off against the walls, he worked his way down again, pausing only briefly when he reached the edge before dropping down the shaft. Again landing with a clang.

As he lowered himself down again he realized to his satisfaction that this lower shaft stretched both forwards and backwards through the wing of the Palace, giving him enough room to turn around and go forwards again.

The tunnel was much lighter down here thanks to the numerous ventilation grates that where scattered along it, allowing the air to circulate through the building and crawling along he used these grates to look out into the rooms below him. Eventually at the sixth grate, he looked down to see a line of cell banks.

And two battle droids.

Carefully prizing the covering grate away with his fingernails, he pushed it into the room. He caught the heavy metal before it could hit the ground with the Force and sent it flying at one of the battle droids.

The heavy durasteel grate smashed into the back of the battle droid's head, causing its flimsy neck to dent badly and the rest of the droid to slump to the ground.

"Hey! No shutting down on the job!" complained the other battle droid, looking down at its fallen companion. A second later its concern was nullified as Obi-Wan dropped from the air duct himself, kicking the droid to the ground as he fell. "Hey, No faaiiirrrrr…" cried the droid as Obi-Wan sprang over to it and ripped out the power lines that ran up the back of its neck.

Shaking his head and wondering how it was possible that the Trade Federation could put up with the slow and cumbersome B-1 battle droids, he climbed back to his feet and marched along the row of cells. But he hadn't gone more that two metres when he spied the Jedi Master's lightsaber placed haphazardly on top of a pile of confiscated blasters and stun batons.

Wondering if the battle droids were really that dumb, or whether it was all some elaborate trap, Obi-Wan called the weapon to his hand and continued striding down the corridor.

He found Master Windu in the second to last cell along the corridor.

Unfortunately the cell had been locked down by a security code.

More fortunately, he was now holding a perfectly good lightsaber in his hands.

The door stood no chance, and a large hole was left in it soon after.

"I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me, Kenobi." commented Master Windu dryly as he climbed through the still glowing hole.

"Me? Never." Grinned Obi-Wan, "I believe this belongs to you." He added, holding out the older man's lightsaber. He opened his mouth to add something about the Master losing his weapon but was forestalled by Windu's glare.

"Don't even _think_ about saying it." He growled, "That joke was old long before either you or I were born." Obi-Wan shut his mouth and just grinned instead.

"I thought you said you'd never use a lightsaber again." said Master Windu as he clipped it back onto his belt. As one they turned and walked back up the hall.

Obi-Wan shrugged, "It was there." He said lightly. Obi-Wan loved being on missions. He loved the freedom that they brang from his past, being away from the temple and the looks in the eyes of the other Jedi, he could pretend that there had never been Ken Ibonek, that he could be himself again.

"And why can't you carry one so it's _there_ when you need to cut down the odd door?" asked Master Windu.

"Temptation." Answered Obi-Wan, "If I don't have it, I can't be tempted to use it. But changing the subject, how does the great Master Mace Windu find himself in a holding cell anyway?"

"Reacca Hucku—the chairman—had his battle droids shove their blasters into the King's face; not a whole lot I could do. The sneaky grub had the whole thing planned out. Why didn't you finish the mission like I asked?"

"There was a complication."

"Aren't there always, what sort?"

"There was no unusual transmission activity around the beginning of the occupation. And there were _no_ transmissions from the Trade Federation Headquarters. And since no Neimoidian would dare do something like this without backing from higher up… that means that either they received their instructions by courier; there's a third, yet unknown party involved; or…"

"…Or it was arranged by the Carreggian's themselves." Finished Master Windu with a frown.

"Exactly."

"And there was no other information on the databank?"

"No, Master."

"Then we have to force their hand." Said the Master grimly.

"How? Just walk right in and ask them, huh?"

"More or less."

"This is crazy." Commented Obi-Wan as they walked into the next corridor. Straight into two dozen battle droids.

"There they are! Open fire!"

"This is why you pack a lightsaber!" shouted Master Windu as he ignited his. Obi-Wan ducked back behind him as a storm of blaster bolts came their way. Master Windu whirled his lightsaber around, catching the bolts that where sent his way and sending them back with deadly accuracy. Two fell in quick succession and Obi-Wan decided it was his turn to lend a hand.

Sending a force push at the droids in advance, he leapt over Master Windu's lightsaber and landed in the midst of the surprised battle droids. Before they could react, Obi-Wan pushed and sent one droid flying into another which collected a third.

Ducking under the first blaster bolt he ducked up and pushed two more droids away, at this point they seemed to decide that the whirling Force pushing Jedi who danced among them was more of a risk than the one at the other end of the corridor with a lightsaber. Master Windu soon showed them the folly of this view, using the distraction to come charging up and begin to hack them to pieces.

Obi-Wan jump kicked a droid targeting the Korun Master and then cart-wheeled to the side and kicked the head of another. He came up with his face right in the barrel of a third. He froze and waited for the shot to come, but instead a blaster bolt came whizzing from the direction of Master Windu, flying over his shoulder and striking the base of the droid's neck, sending the head sailing into the distance.

Obi-Wan's relief was short lived however, for the next moment he had to throw himself backwards to avoid another shot from a different direction. He leaped to his feet once more with a vengeance and flung his hand out, causing three more battle droids to sail across the room, there only two now. Master Windu took care of one by decapitating it while Obi-Wan dispatched the other by using the Force to rip out the power lines to the head.

"There. Who needs a lightsaber?" panted Obi-Wan, breathing heavily after his intensive use of the Force. Master Windu just rolled his eyes. "You're in charge, where to now?"

"I don't know, you're the more experienced one here…"

"Yes, but I'm here only to A; observe, and B; assist you as a fellow Jedi Knight, not a master." Replied Master Windu. "I am not here to be your master Obi-Wan, you are a Jedi Knight now. I am merely to watch you while you are on your probation."

"I know." Sighed Obi-Wan. "But I've always had someone to turn to on my missions…"

"You'd better get used to it, from now on there won't be many occasions where there is someone there to ask, and when you eventually take a Padawan…"

"_If_ I take a Padawan."

"You will, I assure you; teaching the next generation is the ultimate step for any Jedi. But to continue, when you eventually _do_ take a Padawan, you will have to be the responsible one in situations like this."

"Alright, in the mean time though, we have to do something about the situation here and now."

"True."

"So what are we going to do?"

"You're in charge of the mission."

Obi-Wan sighed, it was obvious that Master Windu wasn't going to budge on this—as much as he felt that he was no more ready for the task than he would have been on Naboo tree years earlier, he was going to have to take control of the situation here. "We don't yet know enough about what we're dealing with to make any sort of intelligent judgement…" he said thoughtfully, "And there was no conclusive evidence in the databank—it was like this invasion didn't even exist. We may need to get the answers out of the chairman himself."

"You seem to be forgetting that that's how I ended up down here in the first place." Commented Master Windu dryly, "The King and Queen get blasters pointed at their faces and the Jedi end up in a cell."

Obi-Wan grinned "Leave that to me."

"I see you have a plan."

"A brilliant one." Said Obi-Wan as he gave its outline.

"And if you were right and the Carreg are the ones responsible?"

"Then I'll take appropriate action." Answered Obi-Wan grimly.

Master Windu sighed, "This had better work."

* * *

Mace strode purposefully through the halls of the Carreg Palace, wrapping his cloak around him as he turned Obi-Wan's plan over in his mind—not that there was a lot that he could do about it now. There was a lot that could go wrong with it, but ultimately it seemed to be a good enough plan. Though it involved himself being the bait again, which he had to admit he wasn't thrilled about.

He stepped through a door into the first balcony of the large palace hall, far below him stood around a dozen battle droids standing in a loose cluster around the centre of the room. Four more stood beside the King and Queen who stood with binders locked around their wrists.

If they _were_ playing the innocent victims, reflected Mace, they were doing a first rate job of acting.

Just a small distance from them, stood the Neimoidian chairman, Reacca Hucku, who was taking to some of his advisers. Mace pulled out his comlink and held it to his lips, "Obi-Wan, are you in position?"

"Ready and waiting." Confirmed the younger man's voice.

"Lets go then." Said Mace into the comlink before flipping it off and returning it to his belt. He stood up and unclipped his lightsaber, holding it deactivated in his hand. Drawing on the Force, he leaped onto the rail of the balcony and propelled himself into space.

His lightsaber was lit before he reached the ground, whirling through the air and cleaving battle droids in two, he landed into a crouch and instantly took flight again, sweeping his hand across him and sending another group flying. He decapitated two more and then as the droids recovered enough to fire he destroyed an additional few by returning their own shots. With a final lunge he landed two metres away from chairman Hucku and cut the last of the droids in half. In a fraction of a second his lightsaber was at the chairman's throat. "Tell your droids to stand down and release the king and queen." He thundered.

"I will do n-no such t-thing!" spluttered the chairman, recovering well as he pointed at the other four droids standing over the king and queen, "If you kill me, the droids will s-shoot them. You can't do anything."

Mace didn't reply, he just bored his eyes into the chairman's eyes with an expression that would make ninety percent of the galaxy's sentient quake in their boots. The list of those who wouldn't did not include the chairman; he had beads of sweat running down his face and looked like he'd dearly like to be somewhere—anywhere—other than in this standoff.

"Uh sir, I think we have a problem…" said one of the battle droids.

"What!?" snapped Hucku, breaking his eye contact from the Jedi master to look over at the droid, Mace too glanced over at droid that had spoken, pleased to find that it was indeed what he had hoped it was.

"He's got our weapons." Said the droid, sounding as put out as it was possible for a droid to sound while pointing at an apologetically grinning Obi-Wan who clutched four blasters in his hands from when he had Force grabbed them.

"Care to reconsider, Chairman?" asked Mace, twitching the blade a bit closer to the chairman's collar.

The Neimoidian's composure broke, he threw himself pleading at Mace's feet, "It wasn't out fault, Master Jedi!" he whined, "He threatened to kill us and destroy our ship!"

Mace frowned; perhaps it had been the king after all, "Who?" he growled, reaching down and pulling the chairman upright by the front of his robes.

"I don't know! We never got a name. He just showed up on our ship and accosted us! He somehow managed to sneak aboard and… and he overrode the droids, we had no choice." Pleaded Hucku pathetically. "Even now he has our long range turbolasers focused on the palace here in case we refuse to cooperate!"

Mace felt his blood run cold. This was a possibility that neither he nor Obi-Wan had considered. If this mysterious person up on the droid control ship got wind that the Jedi were succeeding he would blast the palace into atoms. His own eyes rose up to meet Obi-Wan's and a moment of understanding shot between them, this would be very delicate.

"Your Majesty, do you have a hidden way out of the castle?" asked Obi-Wan quickly.

"Yes." Answered the King, in a deep regal voice, "We were unable to use it before because the droids cut us off."

"Here's the deal." Said Mace to Reacca Hucku, catching onto the direction of Obi-Wan's plan. "You let the king and queen go, and then we will flee the palace pursued by your battle droids, this mystery man of yours will think that you have repelled us."

"But what about when he learns that the king and queen are gone!" cried the chairman in horror.

"We'll see what we can do." Said Mace.

"The way I see it, you've got two choices." added Obi-Wan from across the room, "You can either stay here and get pulverized when this guy of yours realises that we and the royal family are gone. Or you can do it our second way, and as long as you can act fairly convincingly we'll see what we can work out for _you_. Personally I'd prefer it that way, since I'm sure that the king and queen don't want their palace destroyed any more that you want to loose your life."

Mace knew that he would accept; he was too big a coward not to. And Obi-Wan had exploited this fact, using a small Force prompt to persuade the Neimoidian that his chances of survival were much better with their plan than with another "I want your promise Jedi, that the Trade Federation and I will not be made a scapegoat for this." Said Hucku. "I will accept no responsibility for this siege."

Mace saw Obi-Wan's gaze flick towards him and gave a small nod in return. "So be it." Nodded the younger man. With a wave of his fingers, the cuffs binding the king and queen dropped to the floor. "We apologize for taking so long." He said, addressing the rulers.

"Not to worry." Replied the king easily, rubbing his wrists, "It's the end result that matters." He looked up at the Trade Federation chairman, "If what you have said is true then no hard feelings—I would do the same to protect my people."

"We're not out of this yet." Warned Obi-Wan.

"He's right, Your Majesty." Said Mace, stepping into the conversation, "We need to quickly get you away from the palace here."

"And what of my staff and guards? They are confined to the lower levels." Asked the King.

Mace shook his head, "We cannot evacuate the rest of the palace without running the risk of it being noticed. Your safety must come first."

"Nonsense." Replied the King, "If the people cannot be evacuated, then I can't either. Thankyou for the offer Master Jedi, but my place is with my people." Mace noticed the hint of a grin flicker across Obi-Wan's face at the last part of the king's piece before being quickly concealed. "I will however take my wife to the escape."

"Very well," he said, "If we cannot convince you yourself to do otherwise, it is beyond our power to make you."

"At least take one of the blasters with you." Said Obi-Wan, holding up on of the droids blasters.

"Aye, that I could do." Nodded the king, taking the piece.

"Alright then chairman." Said Mace moving away from the others so as not to endanger them, Obi-Wan followed suite, "We're ready when you are."

The still shell-shocked looking Neimoidian raised a communicator to his face and spoke. "There are Jedi up here! Where are my reinforcements?"

Mace and Obi-Wan took that as their cue to leave, bolting towards the door, as a few seconds later battle droids burst in through the door on the other side of the room and the two once again became surrounded by blaster fire.

They made it through the door, Mace's lightsaber whizzing back and forth to protect the two of them as they 'fled' from the charging battle droids.

"It's times like this…" said Obi-Wan as he ducked or side stepped anything that made it past Mace's blade "That you almost convince me to—" he cut off as he ducked another shot near his head, "To carry a lightsaber."

"We should do this more often then." Replied Mace as he slapped the door panel, slamming the door between them and the droids, it wouldn't hold them for long, but it would give them enough breathing room to make sure that their act didn't become their death sentence.

It was of course just then that Obi-Wan's comm. Unit began to beep. "Yeah?" he asked snatching the device off his belt as he and Mace ran along.

"Your homing beacon reads that you're in need of assistance Obi-Wan." Crackled a voice over the connection, but distorted though it may be, Obi-Wan would have recognised it anywhere.

"Qui-Gon!?" he gasped in surprise.

* * *

**We get some Qui-Gon and Anakin in the next chapter, as well as finding out who this mysterious man on the Niemoidian ship is. I'll give you a hint in that it is a canon character. he will play a big part in the rest of the story and possibly the rest of the series. As of now I have pretty much decided that Jango will not feature in this story (except maybe as a cameo) but he will play a major role in the next one. Some of the other characters from the previous story will make appearances however.**

**Meanwhile the expert committee is still debating on the Darra issue, they have expressed significant concerns that it will drastically change the dynamics between characters, particularly between Anakin & Obiwan.**

**RIGHT, NOW. COMPETITION TIME!!! Everyone has one guess, the person who can tell me the identity of our mysterious man before the next post wins a brief outline (without spoilers of course) of the rest of the story via PM. plus A COOKIE!!!**

**see you next time!**


	4. C h a p t e r F O U R

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]

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**

**MasterOfdisaster**** – I'm glad that you like Obi-Wan's use of the Force, that's going to be a big difference in this series from the movies. Obi-Wan and Anakin's relationship will be different, but they still are two good a combination to pass up on entirely, so expect to see plenty of Kenobi/Skywalker banter in the series, though not so much in **_**this**_** story.**

**Master of the Obvious 7**** – believe it or not, I had actually pencilled this sort of fight in long before I actually saw the Clone Wars series, but I agree it's similar. I always think that (great weapons though the lightsabers are) there should be more "Force Fighting" in Star Wars. Though obviously the Clone Wars instance is just a little over the top...**

**Nxkris – Thankyou, Qui-Gon and Anakin will have a big part in this story without been major characters; if that makes any sense.**

**Gravniel – Thankyou, here it is!**

**Darksidesparkles – gee thanks. I never realised my story was so compelling! It really means a lot to me. You're right, Darra shouldn't be so mean to him, but you can understand where She's coming from.**

**The Reaper55 – Yup, it will take more than just a few miserly battle droids to shake his resolve.**

**BlueSapphire92 – sorry it took so long**

**Angel of Melius Prime – isn't it annoying when people do that? Sorry though, I just can't see Jango being **_**this**_** devious...**

**Thankyou to everyone for reviewing****—This was really odd to write, I started it and got to about the same point several times before stopping, I went away & wrote 2 chapters for my StarFox Story (Which still only has 3 reviews, mumble mutter, death threats...) and then all of a sudden I sat down and wrote the whole chapter, I just kept writing. Weird. Any way I hope you enjoy it, And I'm pleased to say that at least one of you got the Mystery Person Correct!

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**

-Probation-

C H A P T E R – F O U R

**A New Enemy**

_-"I can't believe that idea of Obi-Wan's worked. And I certainly can't work out how he convinced me to go along with it…"__**— Mace Windu**_

Master, I thought you were on the other side of the galaxy!" Said Obi-Wan in surprise.

"_Well, so we were, but we were chasing a pirate who conveniently managed to run all the way out here only to be captured by the local authorities. So we were __nearby when we picked up your homing beacon."_

"Our homing beacon?" inquired Master Windu. As they began the sprint for the landing platform.

Obi-Wan winced at his mistake, "Yeah, I activated it when I went to free you; I guess I forgot to turn it off again."

"Never mind that now," said Master Windu, "We can use Qui's help here, four Jedi are better than two if we are going to be storming a Battleship."

_"Storming a _battleship_? What are you guys _doing_ down there?!"_

"Running from a vicious herd of battledroids at the moment." replied Obi-Wan. Behind them the locked door finally was blasted in and the Battle droids streamed through, firing as they came.

A rocket propelled detonator came looping lazily towards them, its engine whining. As Master Windu repelled the blaster bolts, Obi-Wan thrust out a hand at it, directing it away with the Force. Instead it smashed into the wall, detonating and chucking rubble everywhere.

"Master Windu, look out!" cried Obi-Wan, diving into a side passage as the roof threatened to give way. The councillor looked up to the roof splitting dangerously and threw himself into the opposite passage just as the ceiling collapsed, dropping large chunks of Duracrete across the floor. The walls now being unsupported also fell in under the firing of the droids. The end result, as Obi-Wan backed away from the still settling pile of rubble, was that the two Jedi were cut off from each other.

"_Obi-Wan?"_ called Qui-Gon across the comlink.

"Can you just hold for two seconds, Master." spoke Obi-Wan, not really meaning it as a question. He flicked off the input into the comlink and instead raised his voice into a loud hail, "Master Windu?" he called.

"I hear you, I'll take it you're cut off." returned Windu's muffled Voice.

"I think so." agreed Obi-Wan, eyeing the pile of rubble in front of him.

"Listen, I can get to _our _transport, you get Qui-Gon to land on your side of the building, and go with him and Anakin, we can link up in the droid control ship. Don't use transmissions more than you have to; we don't know whether 'what's his name' is listening in."

"See you there, Master Windu." nodded Obi-Wan, turning from the blocked intersection he began to jog towards the palace's secondary landing platform which he had seen on their flight in. As he jogged, he flicked back on his comlink, "Master" he began.

_"Qui-Gon." _corrected his former teacher, cutting across him.

Obi-Wan winced, however much Qui-Gon insisted on it, he was quite sure he would never get used to calling his former master by name.

"Sorry, M Qui-Gon." said Obi-Wan, just catching his mistake in time.

_"What's going on down there? We're about five minutes away from your position if you need us."_

"Part of the palace has collapsed, and I've been cut off from our ship and Master Windu," said Obi-Wan, "Can you pick me up?"

_"Right,"_ said Qui-Gon, _"We'll head towards your position," _he paused contemplatively,_ "But only if you come and have dinner with me and Anakin tomorrow night."_

"What!?" Exclaimed Obi-Wan, stopping thunderstruck. "Master, Are you mad?!"

_"Nope, I merely find death threats a good way of motivating you. And besides, we don't see any where near enough of each other these days my former Padawan." _returned Qui-Gon's voice, _"And remember, it's Qui-Gon."_

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, "Well, when you put it that way, how can I refuse?" he said, "But you could have just asked nicely you know."

_"This way's more fun."_ replied the master, _"Anakin assures me that we'll be there in _precisely _one-hundred-and-eight seconds____see you then."_ Obi-Wan gave a quick nod as he shoved the comlink back onto his belt; they would arrive at more or less the same time. Taking off at a run, Obi-Wan dashed through the halls, using the map he had taken earlier to guide his way through the halls of the palace.

In less than a minute, Obi-Wan found himself at the door onto another landing platform, with a quick slap of the control pad; he was dashing out onto the duracrete balcony.

He didn't have to wait long, after a few seconds, a subtle stir in The Force drew his attention to a small dark speck in the sky, and it wasn't long before that speck turned into a large space launch which slipped through the thin clouds like some bird of prey.

The ship was some thirty metres long and a matte black colour, its forward end tapered to a point, and at its rear were two large streamlined external engines. In fact except for the colour, it might have been the same ship that they had used to escape Naboo those three-and-a-half years ago. The similarity unsettled Obi-Wan as the ship swooped down into a perfect hover, its boarding ramp lowering to within half a metre of the edge of the balcony. Obi-Wan smiled slightly at what was obviously the piloting of Anakin Skywalker, it would not be long, perhaps another two or three years; before Anakin was the best pilot in the Jedi Order—perhaps the best in the galaxy.

"Look there he is! Blast him!" Obi-Wan whipped around, the smile sliding off his face as no less than a dozen battle droids ran through the open door behind him.

Not bothering to stay and fight so many at once, Obi-Wan turned back towards the waiting ship and used The Force to speed his jump straight through the open hatch, he heard the distinctive ping of blaster fire as the droids began to shoot, but already the ship was jerking away from the palace, the hatch closing up as the launch tilted back and shot towards the upper atmosphere.

Stumbling toward the cockpit, Obi-Wan patted a smoking patch of his cloak where evidently a blaster shot had come a little too close for comfort.

"Aboard welcome, Master Obi-Wan." Growled Anakin in a dreadful Yoda imitation without looking around.

"And I thought my Yoda's where bad." Returned Obi-Wan, as the ship lurched, sending him sprawling into the navigator's chair, "And what's with dialling the inertia compensators down? You'll make the old man over there sick. Oh, sorry that's you Master." He grinned at the indignant older Jedi, Something about being back in life threatening situations with his old master—albeit with Qui-Gon's new Padawan as well—relaxed something in him.

"It doesn't take you long to hit form, Obi-Wan," said Qui-Gon dryly, "You've been here less than ten seconds and you've already insulted everyone on the ship.

"It's nice to see you too, but remember it's Qui-Gon."

"Except he insulted himself too." Said Anakin, "You're not supposed to do that. Three Vulture Droids behind us Master. Mom always said that there are enough people in the world to insult you without insulting yourself." He continued without taking pause.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly, though he wouldn't admit it, he liked Anakin; his constant and easy banter reminded him of himself before... well before Ibonek, now though he was able to get away from it in the midst of a mission, all his interaction outside of that was forced and cliché. Dimly he wondered if it would ever go back to the way that it had been before; he doubted it.

"Stabilize the rear deflectors." Ordered Qui-Gon, viewing the pursuing droids on an aft camera.

"Already done, Master."

"It certainly seems that you've got someone's attention Obi-Wan." Said Qui-Gon turning his chair to face him, "Where's Master Windu?"

"On our shuttle hopefully." answered Obi-Wan, "It seems that someone up there has a very high opinion of themselves, high enough to be holding both the Neimoidians and the Carreggians hostage at the same time."

"Ah."

"So we pretended to run away scared, giving us a chance to land on the battleship without the palace getting blasted to pieces, hopefully—unfortunately the droids brought a corridor down around us and I got cut off from our ship."

"The Naboo are going to have a field day with this," said Qui-Gon, "They're still furious about Nute Gunray getting off, I told Queen Amidala he would, but still."

"Well they won't get much out of this," said Obi-Wan, shaking his head, "I promised Hacku that they would be portrayed as the victims here."

"Why did you do that?" burst out Anakin as he swerved to evade cannon fire from behind, "Those miserable cowards got off scot free from the Naboo Crisis, this could have been our chance to bring them to justice!"

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer, but Qui-Gon saved him the trouble. "A Jedi does not go back on his word, my young Padawan. And besides, in the eyes of most of the galaxy, the Federation did nothing wrong, they were acquitted over all charges."

"Only because of a technicality." Grumbled Anakin, but he let the matter drop.

The ship swung to the side again as the pursuit fired at them again, "Can't we do something about that pursuit?" asked Obi-Wan, rubbing his head from where it had struck the consol next to him.

"This ship, much to Anakin's displeasure, has no rear facing cannons." Qui-Gon informed him.

"Not yet, anyway." Gritted out Anakin as he was forced to dodge another flurry of cannon fire.

"And where exactly did this ship come from?" asked Obi-Wan as the ship rocked and the shields recorded their first hit.

"I'm sure you've already guessed," said Qui-Gon, his voice completely calm despite his teeth gnashing apprentice working the controls this way and that to evade the torrent of fire power behind them, "A _small_ gift of gratitude from the queen of Naboo; the _Silent Shadow_."

"The _Silent Shadow_? Odd name, does it have cloaking abilities?"

"Not yet." Growled Anakin again as the shields took another hit.

"Its black." Pointed out Qui-Gon brightly.

"And that'll be... by The Force!" exclaimed Obi-Wan as the _Shadow_ slipped out of the top of a large cumulus cloud. In front of them were dozens of Vulture Droids bearing down on them from the front.

Anakin cursed in a language that sounded suspiciously like Huttese, even Qui-Gon inhaled sharply. Before he knew what he was doing, Obi-Wan lurched forward and leaning over Anakin's shoulder, dialled the inertia compensator up to one-hundred-percent and activated the repulsorlift engines.

"What are you doing?" cried Anakin.

"A trick." Said Obi-Wan. With a tug at one of the controls, the ship went into a dizzying spin, climbing at the same time, just as a lethal amount of fire power came their way. The spinning of the ship caused the repulsors to generate an anti-gravity field around the entire ship, causing the shots to refract slightly as they drew near.

The craft still shook like it had run into the side of a mountain, but the shields only fell by thirty-odd percent, rather than the debilitating damage that Obi-Wan was sure would have been caused otherwise.

"Neat trick." Breathed Qui-Gon. An alarm warned them that the repulsors were over heating from the prolonged use above their specifications. Clenching his jaw, Obi-Wan flipped the craft over and dived back towards the Vulture droids just as they adjusted course to climb towards them. "Yeah, some Corellian smuggler I met in a bar suggested it." He said as he narrowed his eyes in concentration.

Trusting the repulsors to hold a little longer, Obi-Wan kept the ship in the spin and opened fire with the main guns, half a dozen Vultures were reduced to slag, as Obi-Wan brought the _Shadow_ out of its spin behind the enemy fighters, and once again adjusted course for the battleship, now just coming into sight.

The droids soon caught onto the idea though, and looped around to cut them off from the side. "Any one got any more ideas?" asked Anakin as he angled the deflector towards the droids.

"I've already had one—isn't that enough?" complained Obi-Wan as he tried to increase the throttle.

A bright streak flying over them followed by a brilliant explosion from the direction of the Vulture Droids answered their prayers as the _shadow's_ engines spluttered; forcing Obi-Wan to throttle down a little.

"Concussion Missile detonation." Said Anakin, eyeing the explosion with an expert eye. "Got at least six of them."

"Hopefully it's Master Windu." Said Obi-Wan, sparing a glance toward the mass of droids that were reforming their formation, "Our ship was equipped with two missiles."

Sure enough, seconds later Master Windu's voice crackled along the cockpit speakers. "I'll draw them off, you three get to that battleship!"

"Copy that, Mace." Said Qui-Gon.

The shuttle flew overhead, making for the remaining Vultures as Obi-Wan once again pushed the engines forward, accelerating towards the Trade Federation Battle cruiser.

"What's a diplomatic shuttle like that doing with weaponry?" asked Anakin as the _Shadow_ pulled away from Master Windu and the droids.

"The Bothen's don't trust anyone. Even for diplomatic missions."

"So it seems. Look out; three droids inbound at point-four!" Called Anakin.

"Here then," Said Obi-Wan, handing the controls back to Anakin and slipping back into his seat. The young Padawan threw him a smirk before dialling down the inertia compensators again and throwing the _Shadow_ into a series of evasive banks and rolls.

"I'm surprised you took the controls at all." Commented Qui-Gon over the ping of cannon fire behind them. "I thought that you'd grown to hate flying in your old age." He added dryly.

"It's one of the few things that doesn't remind me of Ibonek." Muttered Obi-Wan, no trace of humour in his voice.

"Uh, have either of you figured out how we're supposed to land on an enemy battleship?" asked Anakin suddenly, bringing their attention back to the issue at hand.

"I assumed you had one, Obi-Wan." Said Qui-Gon.

"Uh, I hadn't thought that far ahead..." said Obi-Wan sheepishly, "Oops..."

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes while Anakin was far more vocal about his opinion. "Great, well it's comforting to know that this mission has been thought down to the letter..."

"Alright then, what do you propose?" Shot back Obi-Wan shortly.

"I say we do the same thing as I did during the Battle Of Naboo, we wait until they release fighters, and then we slip past the shields."

"That has so many things that could go wrong with it..." Said Obi-Wan.

"Sometimes improvising is the better part of planning." Pointed out Qui-Gon.

"Don't tell him that." Groaned Obi-Wan, "He might start to believe you. And what happens if they don't release any fighters?"

"Better than not having any plan at all." Shot back Anakin.

"That is true, but remember not to let your plan get in the way of other opportunities." Said Qui-Gon, providing resolution to the argument.

With steady hands, Anakin piloted the craft over the larger Federation Battle Ship, so close to the surface that two of the droids wiped themselves out on the shields, while the other one got caught in the blast of one of the massive manoeuvring jets as the battleship adjusted its position slightly. The whole time the anti-air guns remained strangely quiet. "This isn't right." Said Obi-Wan with a frown, "Why would the weapons be offline?".

"No more ships on the scope," Reported Anakin as he flew past a large transmission antenna, "Master Windu did a good job of drawing them off."

"This is strange," said Qui-Gon with equal perplexion, "All the hanger bay shield are down."

"What does this mean master?" Asked Anakin, "No one in their right mind would leave the shields down in a battle."

"Oh, that's easy—it's a trap." Said Obi-Wan.

"What do we do, then?"

"We spring it." Answered Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon at the same time.

"Well okay, since you feel so strongly about it." Said Anakin, looking a bit bemused by their simultaneous response. With a deft hand he lowered the ship into the main hanger bay, and landed in the very middle of the area, dozens more inactive Vulture Droids lined the walls, their silver bodies glinting in the glow of the _Shadow's _landing lights.

"This is creepy." Muttered Obi-Wan, "This hanger should be full of movement—there is something seriously wrong here." At that moment the hanger lights went out, leaving the _Shadow's_ lights as the only illumination.

"Great," Wined Anakin, "Evidently someone didn't agree with your assessment of creepy and wanted to add to it."

"Let's go." Said Qui-Gon in a subdued voice. "Have you got your lightsaber Padawan?"

"Yep."

"Right, I just need to retrieve mine from my quarters." Said the older Jedi, Obi-Wan saw his eyes flick in the direction of Obi-Wan's belt and then look up towards his face with disapproval. "Where is _your_ lightsaber, Obi-Wan?"

"Back in the Temple in the display case you gave it to me in." He answered unabashed.

Qui-Gon threw up his hands and left the cockpit without another word shaking his head as he went. "Why don't you have your lightsaber?" asked Anakin in a surprised whisper as they followed the man who had been or was their teacher.

"The same reason you didn't want to carry yours after you stabbed me; I caused far too much damage with one." Returned Obi-Wan.

"Common, Obi-Wan. No one blames you for that, just like you didn't blame me..."

"Now that's where you are wrong, Anakin." Said Obi-Wan, "There are still those in the Temple who do blame me for it."

"You mean Darra?"

"Initiate Thel-Tanis is among others." Confirmed Obi-Wan, "But even if that wasn't the case, _I_ blame myself."

"You shouldn't." Said Anakin, "You didn't know any different. Besides I don't think there are any besides Darra..."

"So I am frequently told."

"Has Darra still not been chosen as a Padawan?" asked Anakin, changing subject. Obi-Wan winced, he no more preferred the new topic than the old, but still he answered. "No, no one will consider her now; she carries too much anger—my fault again."

Obi-Wan gazed through Anakin thoughtfully. It was a strange relationship that the two of them shared, forged over mutual guilt over their respective injuries that they had inflicted to each other. For Anakin, it was made worse by it being the first major injury that he had caused, and for Obi-Wan it was made better by the fact that he could apologize to one of his many victims. It wasn't an especially close relationship, but more of one of mutual understanding, if for nothing else other than having been effectively brought up by the same person. Nevertheless, he and Anakin got along quite well, they both had a similar dry sense of humour, and dozens of stories revolving around the person they both called Master with much affection.

The two younger Jedi were in the main room of the launch by now, Qui-Gon emerged a second later from a side room with both his robe and lightsaber now fitted correctly. "Shall we?" he asked as he reached out and released the catch for the hatch.

As soon as it was fully open, Obi-Wan charged down the gangway and ran towards the exit to the hanger bay, the blast doors' shape barely visible through the gloom. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a shuttle fly close by the entrance to the hanger bay, followed by several droid fighters as Master Windu led them on a merry dance outside. Once again Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes suspiciously; the B-1 battle droids were still nowhere to be seen, yet.

He slowed to a walk as he reached the blast doors; all too aware of what could be waiting on the other side. A soft clanging behind him alerted him to Qui-Gon and Anakin trotting up.

"You know, waiting a few seconds wasn't likely to hurt, Obi-Wan." Observed Qui-Gon.

"What's this? Getting slow in your old age, my _old_ Master?"

"Hardly, I've just got a young one to slow me down instead." He answered, shooting a conspiratal look at Anakin as the blast doors began to open. But the Padawan wasn't going to play along with the master this time, "_Me_ slow _you_ down master? Need I remind you who it is who spends the first five minutes after they wake up creaking around?"

Obi-Wan snorted as the blast doors opened to reveal... an empty passage. "I still don't like this." He said.

"Of course not, It's a trap—as you've already pointed out." Huffed Qui-Gon, apparently still upset that both his former and current Padawans thought him old.

Continuing on the three of them walked through the polished metal corridors of the battleship, Qui-Gon and Anakin with their lightsabers in hand but unlit. Obi-Wan without a weapon, had his hands held slightly in front of him in anticipation of the ambush that would surely come at any moment.

But the three of them went unhindered, running off Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's Memories of the Droid Control ship over Naboo, they made it all the way up to the central control room without meeting anyone at all. "This is really not right..." whispered Anakin, putting voice to the words that they all felt.

Obi-Wan glanced over at Qui-Gon as they approached the blast doors into control room which were locked tight. He wondered if he was going to employ the same tactic that they had tried over Naboo.

But before they had quite reached them, the doors began to slowly open, receding enough to admit a silver protocol droid. "Greetings, I am TeeCee-Fourteen at your service, once stationed aboard the ship of viceroy Gunray himself, but recently reassigned to this dreadfully unimportant ship." It finished sounding as put out as would have been possible for a droid.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon looked at each other in disbelief of the same droid that had welcomed them aboard the droid control ship over Naboo years ago, but in doing so, committed a critical error. One from which they were lucky to survive.

"Gun!" Screeched Anakin leaping forward as his lightsaber buzzed to life. With a lunge, he sliced the droid in two, the blaster that it had suddenly produced from nowhere discharging and missing Qui-Gon's ear by scarce centimetres.

"Well done, Padawan." Said a shocked Qui-Gon. With a shake of his head he continued, "Let this be a reminder to all of us never to let down our guard." He said looking at the sparking remains of the droid in distaste. "I don't like this," he said quietly to Obi-Wan, as the two of them squatted next to the remains, "Hiding a blaster on a protocol droid; it reminds me too much of Xanatos."

"We will have to be much more careful from now on then." Said Obi-Wan.

Picking themselves back up, the two older Jedi crept to the partially open door and slipped through it one after another, Anakin following directly behind. At the end of the control room, staring off through the large viewports into space, stood a single cloaked figure, their hood up and covering all visible parts of their head.

"You took your time, Jedi." Said a deep male voice, "I was beginning to think that maybe you'd gotten yourselves killed before I got privilege of doing you in.

"I've been looking forward to this." He said as he turned around. Qui-Gon froze—Obi-Wan didn't blame him. Staring back at them was the face of Qui-Gon's fallen apprentice, Xanatos.

Or rather someone who looked extremely similar, the eyes were a bit paler, and he looked younger than when Obi-Wan had known him, maybe in his early twenties, but he carried himself the same way, and he had the same cool, calculating look to his face. "Oh yes, I thought my appearance might do that." Said the Xanatos lookalike, "How does it feel to look back into the face of someone that you murdered?"

"But you're not Xanatos." Said Qui-Gon, regaining his composure at last.

"Oh look how cleaver we are!" said the man with mock enthusiasm. "Y'know it takes an utter _genius_ to work that one out."

"Who are you?" demanded Obi-Wan bluntly.

"That my friend, I don't think I'll tell. But I'm sure you've already worked it out to an extent."

"You are related to Xanatos." Guessed Anakin, who knew the spectre from Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's past only by name, and by reputation.

"Oh, another bright one! we could put an end to the galaxy's lighting problems with the three of you." Said not-Xanatos with sticky sarcasm.

"Well if you won't tell us your name, at least tell us what you want." Commanded Qui-Gon gruffly.

"And then if you would be so kind as to accompany us to a maximum security prison," Added Obi-Wan, as the three began to move slowly towards him, "There are quite a few people in this planetary sector who are hoping to press charges against you."

Completely ignoring Obi-Wan, the man turned to Qui-Gon, "What I want is very simple, I want to rid the galaxy of Jedi, and starting with you particular three just couldn't get any sweeter.

"So much as I would like to stay around chatting with you all day, I'm afraid it's time to say... goodbye." With a flourish, he produced a small remote and pressed a button on it. With a deadly rattle no less than five droidekas rolled into the room through the still partly open door, which then closed behind them. Rolling into position around the Jedi, they unfolded and deployed their shields.

"Master...?" gulped Anakin, "Can I make a confession before we die?"

"I have no intention of dying," said Qui-Gon through clenched teeth, "But go ahead anyway."

"I'm the one who ate the last muja fruit before we left."

"Oh, how _could_ you?" asked Obi-Wan with over dramatic sarcasm. That was the last thing said before the droids opened fire.

Qui-Gon and Anakin's green blades whirled back and forth, deflecting as much of the fire as possible. Obi-Wan meanwhile stood hunched between them looking for any weakness he could exploit; while at the same time staying out of the way of the two lightsabers and dodging the blaster fire that made it past Qui-Gon's and Anakin's defences.

At last, finding an opening, Obi-Wan reached out with The Force and flung one of the droidekas across the room where it smashed into hundreds of pieces. Ducking under a wild Anakin swing, Obi-Wan reached out with The Force and grabbed the head of the recently smashed droid, with a gesture of his wrist, he sent it flying at a second droideka, the large chunk of metal shorting out the shield as the energy field tried to over compensate. Qui-Gon took advantage of the opening by sending a few errant bolts into the now defenceless droid, which quickly fell into a pile of sparking ruin.

With a flash of The Force, Anakin let out a powerful Force Push which knocked over the third driodeka, its shield shorting out too as it lay on its back, firing its blasters pathetically at the ceiling.

With both Anakin and Qui-Gon focused on a droid each now, nothing was getting through. Obi-Wan looked around for their mysterious attacker but couldn't see him, instead he looked up at the ceiling which was beginning to break apart under the knocked over droid's continues fire. Reaching up with both hands, Obi-Wan used The Force to put pressure on the roof, the already creaking and cracking metal now fair groaning against the stress.

With a large ping, the metal tore free and the heavy plating as well as the several air coolers, scrubbers and light transformers that were behind it rained down on the three still operating droids, crushing them.

"Whew, good workout." Commented Anakin, slowly pivoting around with his lightsaber buzzing in search for additional enemies.

"Any one spot him?" asked Qui-Gon.

"There!" shouted Obi-Wan, pointing towards a dark shadow making to dart out through a side door.

The three Jedi bounded over as fast as they could go, Obi-Wan and Anakin flipping over the smoking rubble and computer consoles, Qui-Gon running around to cut off his other escape. As they drew near, the shadow turned and fired a holdout blaster, the discharge striking centimetres from Anakin's boot.

"Uh, nuh, nuh." Said the man, shaking his head as he backed towards the door, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Before any of the Jedi could ask why, the whole ship jolted uncomfortably. The man sneered, "That was the main engines igniting," He said, "This ship is now on a crash course with your precious palace down there, I don't have to tell you that it would kill all occupants, not to mention the ghastly environmental effects of a ship this size hitting the surface of the planet." His feral grin widened, "And it takes a minimum of four people to control the movements of this ship, maybe you three are up to the task of four, maybe not. Either way, it's either me or the planet. Bye!" spinning and running in one movement he was halfway down the corridor before the Jedi could act.

"He's bluffing!" declared Anakin as he hesitated at the entrance to the corridor, though not with total confidence.

"We can't take that chance—not with so many lives at stake." Said Qui-Gon, turning back towards the controls, sure enough through the viewport, the planet was rapidly growing, and the view outside was already beginning to redden as they buffeted the upper wisps of the atmosphere. "I'll put a warning out to the palace."

"Just like Xanatos." Muttered Obi-Wan as he threw himself at the engines console and Anakin claimed the steering. "Always got an escape route."

"Right," Called Anakin, taking charge of the situation as the best pilot out of them, "Obi-Wan, reroute all power to the manoeuvring jets, and try to shut down the main engines, Master, try to jettison everything that you can—we've got to lighten the ship."

"It'll take time." Said Obi-Wan as he began typing furiously at his consol, "The thrusters I can do, but the engines have to be shut down bit by bit."

"Just do your best, Master Kenobi." Said Anakin from where he too was furiously hitting different buttons in an effort to slow and redirect the ship.

"I've just opened the magnetic field on all of the hanger bays," reported Qui-Gon, "And I'm about to jettison the garbage, standby."

The three worked at a feverish pace, typing out different commands and sequences as they desperately tried to avert disaster. They only had to spare a look out the viewport to see just how fine they were cutting it. Through the fiery inferno of entry into the atmosphere, they could see the small, almost toylike outline of the castle, and they were heading towards it fast—two-hundred and sixty-six metres per second1.

"We're just too heavy," Gasped Anakin, "The ship isn't responding fast enough."

"Qui-Gon, order all the battle droids to activate and enter the hanger bays." Said Obi-Wan, "They must be lying around _somewhere_."

"And the vacuum in the hanger will suck them out." Nodded Qui-Gon as he scrambled to execute the command.

"Cutting primary slave engines," Announced Obi-Wan. "Stand by." With a jolt, the ship slurred downwards, plummeting even faster than before. "Oops."

"Reengage the engines!" Shouted Anakin. As Obi-Wan scrambled to do just that, "The engines are the only thing stopping gravity from taking effect at the moment!"

After several heart stopping seconds the slave engines refired, stabling out the craft again. "I've just had twenty thousand B-1 Droid units dumped from the ship." Reported Qui-Gon, "The rest is up to you Anakin."

With nothing more to do, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan turned towards the viewport watching in anticipation as Anakin tried to level off the craft while the palace and the ground got steadily closer. At last the palace was close enough that Obi-Wan could pick out individual window, he winced, waiting for the crash... and then nothing, the clouds were coming closer again as the craft began to climb again.

A great shuddering collective sigh of relief was heard across the room, "That was entirely too close." Breathed Anakin.

"How close?" asked Qui-Gon apprehensively.

"We passed twenty metres over the top of the largest peek."

"Then we probably blew out all the windows on the approach side." Said Obi-Wan, "The back wash would have been tremendous."

The craft decelerated to below five-hundred kilometres an hour as it started to ascend again after its freefall, and fifteen minutes later they were back into space. Obi-Wan was just about to suggest that they got back to their ship when his comlink began to beep urgently. "Yes?" he answered, pulling the device of his belt.

"_Obi-Wan, are you in control of the station? I just saw that crazy dive... oh look blast it I'm gunna have to ditch... scape po... doids are all over m... ..."_Master Windu's frantic voice cut off into static.

"Deactivate those droids," cried Obi-Wan to Anakin who was already putting out the call. Qui-Gon meanwhile had manned the radar, and now called out, "I've got him on radar; he's in an escape pod. The droids around him have shut down."

"Is he in range of the tractor beam?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Just." With a series of commands, Qui-Gon locked onto the floating pod with the tractor, and it slowly began to drift towards them. "Are we in secure Orbit? I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to get off this ship as soon as Mace is aboard."

"According to the guidance computer, we are." Said Obi-Wan, "I think we're good to go. But what about the Neimoidians? Presumably there are still some on the battleship here."

"Probably the brig." Agreed Qui-Gon. "I'll go check. Anakin, Prep the _Shadow_."

"I'll go recover Master Windu." Said Obi-Wan, "He's not going to be happy that he had to eject, he fancies himself as a pilot, you know."

Qui-Gon snorted, "I'll have to remind him of the time he crashed in the level one simulator then." He said.

"In the level _one_?" asked Anakin, aghast. "I thought that was impossible!"

"Well, he claimed sabotage. But if there was, they were too clever to be found out and the record goes down as the lowest level in recent history at the Temple." Said Qui-Gon, his twinkling eyes giving Obi-Wan a pretty good idea of just who it was who had sabotaged the simulation. Shaking his head, he turned away from the others and hurried along towards the secondary hanger bay in which the tractor beam operated.

He arrived in the recently re-pressurised hanger just in time to see the escape pod slide through the magnetic field. Without even waiting for it to touch down, a purple lightsaber stabbed through the pod's skin and slashed a hole through it. A rather windswept Master Windu, climbed out and jumped down to the floor, wobbling slightly as he staggered across the hanger. "What's the matter Master Windu?" asked Obi-Wan as he went to support the other Jedi. "I surely can't have been _that_ bad in there."

"You would have jumped out too if you'd had to put up with an Aqualish choral choir for quarter of an hour." Groaned Master Windu. "Evidently some damn brightspark decided if the destruction of the shuttle didn't kill its occupants then they'd make sure their ears bleeding to death would—they had the speakers playing an endless loop of the same piece over and over... its sabotage I tell you."

"Just like the simulator back at the Temple, huh?" smiled Obi-Wan, "Level one... Tut, tut." Master Windu glared daggers at him, if looks could kill, Obi-Wan would have been a puddle by this point. "Besides, Master Windu," Said Obi-Wan as he poked his head into the now grounded escape pod, "Pressing the stop button might have been a good way to stop the music..."

The look on Master Windu's face was priceless.

* * *

**AN: Okay, This chapter is a touch massive. Sorry for that bit of weirdness at the end, I think that Master Windu and I were suffering from a slight case of brain asphyxiation. Any way, Sorry for taking so long, is I outlined above I've been trying to get this out for monthes, but nothing seemed to stick. I hope you liked the end result. The winner of the Biggest and chocolatiest virtual cookie I have is **Master of the Obvious 7** who correctly guessed Granta Omega as the Mystery Figure, Congratulations! Hopefully it won't take me as long to get the next chapter out, so until then...**

NEXT TIME: The repercussions of the Carreg mission, a party, and rejection.


	5. C h a p t e r F I V E

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[****Probation]**

* * *

**Darth Kiryan - Glad you like it, I always see plenty of AU Fics where Qui-Gon survives, but Anakin and Obi-Wan don't get on, and it always seems to me that the story is missing something. If you ask me, the relationship of Anakin and Obi-Wan is one of the most interesting things in the whole saga.**

**Padawan-BubbyKenobi - Please don't shoot me!**

**Master of the Obvious 7 - Alas, end of writers block, start of real life... glad you liked it.**

**Exodus5 - interesting comment, but its a bit more complicated than that. Basically what gets referred to Ken Ibonek in this story is Obi-Wan's guilt about the things he's done, not so much a question denying his darker sides existence. I'm also going to give away a bit here, Obi-Wan will not leave the Jedi Order, if he'd been going to he would have left it at the end of the last story, but you can expect to see him more freethinking that you're used to.**

**starberries bite - Why thank you.**

**nxkris - He does tend to ask for one, doesn't he? Its difficult to resist giving stiff necked proper Master Windu a share of the problems that the rest of us have to face on a daily basis.**

**Geri k - One thing I decided very early on for this one is that I was going to have more fun with this story. I'm trying to get the balance between humour and seriousness/angst, I think I've succeeded in some parts and failed in others, but I'm fairly happy with the last chapter.**

**Hollow Mashiro - Obi-Wan already has told the council about Sidious, but the name on its own is pretty much useless, and Obi-Wan doesn't know much more than that.**

**Lady Lurker - Thank you, thankyou and thankyou.**

**Rosabell - I had my dad in mind when I wrote that...**

**I'm SO SORRY! Eh hem, Unfortunately I've been rather busy of late. We've just moved house and had hay to cut, then there was school, general real life and my other stories (including a novel that I've started), so unfortunately this story got lost somewhere about three quarters finished... Anyway I'm back now. Please R&R if you're still there.**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - F I V E

**Current Affairs**

_-"In my opinion, Obi-Wan acted throughout my involvement of the mission with all the grace, conviction and judgement of a fully fledged Jedi Knight."__**— Qui-Gon Jinn**_

Yoda sat in his customary chair in the high council chambers, the council once again in session as they reviewed the recent missions that had been completed, and discussed the current requests for help that they received daily, and who they would send to follow up the request.

Currently under discussion is the recent mission to disband the Trade Federation presence over Carreg, and its subsequent revelations. In light of the topic, Qui-Gon Jinn stood in the middle of the chambers, giving his report on the mission. They had already heard Obi-Wan's report, and Mace's of course, but an extra opinion was always valuable.

"Humph, of this man on the battleship tell us. Related to Xanatos you believe him?" Asked Yoda.

Qui-Gon shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, I believe he was; he certainly bore a close physical resemblance. But the thing that was most conclusive for me was the scale and _ruthlessness_ of his plot; he created the whole situation at Carreg just to lure Jedi to him, even going as far to risking the lives of millions of people when he forced us to choose between capturing him, or defending the people of Carreg from the falling battleship."

"Do you believe he will continue to be threat to the population of the Galaxy?" Asked Ki-Adi-Mundi.

"He certainly won't be giving up." Said Qui-Gon heavily, "If he is half as ruthless as Xanatos was, he'll continue in his pursuits until he's forcefully stopped. And as long as he is trying to kill Jedi, he will use innocents to lure us to him."

Mace, sitting on Yoda's left, sighed. "We will put out a description of this person to all field operatives." He said, but the galaxy is a big place and if he is as cleaver as Xanatos was—and at present we have reason to think otherwise—then the chances of us finding him before he wants us to are very remote."

"I agree." Nodded Qui-Gon grimly.

Yoda sighed mentally, he remembered the fateful mission that they had sent Qui-Gon and Xanatos on like it were yesterday. Qui-Gon had approached the council, claiming that Xanatos was ready for the Trials, but Yoda had doubted it. The young man had still had many anger management issues, and he'd doubted that he would be able to keep them under control. So he and the rest of the council had agreed that Xanatos would be ready for the Trials only if he performed well in a situation where his commitment would be tested to the maximum. On the unstable world of Telos.

On Telos, Xanatos' father, and the governor on Telos, Crion, secretly sought to destroy a nearby world in order to gain access to the many minerals that where natural on the planet. The neighbouring planet suspected Telos, and declared war on them. When Qui-Gon and Xanatos had arrived, Xanatos had quickly been corrupted by Crion, and thus when Qui-Gon was forced to kill Crion, Xanatos became blinded by rage and attacked him before fleeing and swearing his revenge on the Jedi, and more importantly, his former master.

No one had heard or seen of Xanatos for years until around fifteen years ago, when he had re-emerged at the head of a highly dubious mining company, Offworld. Ultimately, after several escapades, he had been exposed to the galaxy and with all of his life's work in tatters, had killed himself rather than risking being captured by Qui-Gon.

Even now, Yoda wondered if the council's heavy handling of the matter had caused Xanatos to fall, or whether they had merely brought forward something that was sure to happen eventually anyway. He doubted he would ever know the true answer. But it seemed now as if Xanatos' legacy survived. This new hitherto unknown person was by reports, pushing the same hoverbarrow that Xanatos was. Yoda wondered if he would cause the same amount of damage that Xanatos did before he was stopped.

"Ask the archivists to check the records for relatives of Xanatos I will." Said Yoda. "Perhaps track him down that way we can."

"I think that would be good idea, Master." Agreed Qui-Gon.

"Thank you for your report Qui-Gon," Said Mace, dismissing him, "May the Force be with you."

With the jerk of his head which was what passed for a bow with Qui-Gon, the middle aged master turned and swept from the chambers.

Beside Yoda, Mace leaned back with a sigh. "For what it's worth," He said, "I too hope that we can track him down quickly, I saw what he did on Carreg. That last stunt with the battle ship, even with three Jedi piloting it, it only just missed the palace. Had it hit, I'm sure the environmental after-effects would have killed most of the people on the south continent."

"Be thankful we should, that that disaster was prevented." Agreed Yoda.

"They prevented it this time," Allowed Adi Gallia, "But next time we may not be so fortunate. I agree with Qui-Gon, we need to move as quickly as possible to ensure that there isn't a next time."

"Agreed, no resource should be spared. Within reason anyway." Said Plo Koon

"It's settled then." Said Mace, "We must do all we can to track him down."

"An interesting point I find," Interjected Yaddle softly, "Was that no allusions did Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon, or _yourself_ Master Windu, make to this man having Force Powers."

Yoda's ears twitched, he really must be getting old and slow, the fact had completely eluded him. "Possible it is, that simply use them he did not." He said thoughtfully, "But agree I do, that most strange this would be."

"Then the only logical conclusion is that he has none." Stated Mace, "Not that that will make it any easier to capture him, or track him down for that matter, non-Force Sensitives are less noticeable."

The room sat in silence for several long seconds before Yoda again spoke, "Finished for the moment this topic is, what on the agenda is next?"

"More to do with the Carreg mission," Said Mace, "The probation of Obi-Wan Kenobi."

* * *

"You want _what_?" Asked Bant Eerin suspiciously, glaring at him from over her desk in the healers ward.

"Just a small tub of burn cream, Bant." Said Obi-Wan to his Mon Calamari friend, "There's no need to make a fuss about it."

"I'll decide that. You've gone and gotten yourself hurt again, haven't you?"

"No." Obi-Wan hastily assured her, "Just a few close calls that have left some very _minor_ burns."

Bant glared at him harder, if that was possible, "Obi-Wan," She scolded, "If you don't stop being so stubbornly foolish it's going to kill you."

"Don't tell me this is going to be another lecture about my lightsaber." Groaned Obi-Wan, grimacing.

"It wasn't actually, but that might help."

"Says she who doesn't wear _her_ lightsaber most of the time."

"Says _she _who stays in the Healers Ward in the Jedi Temple '_most of the time'._" Countered Bant, "There's the strong likelihood, you know, that you wouldn't even have to _use_ it, it just _being_ there is enough to deter a lot of people."

"It just being there is enough to allow me to use it too."

"Then super glue it in! Or something!"

"Are you going to give me my burn cream?" Obi-Wan tried to change the topic.

"Oh no you don't, Kenobi." Said Bant, "You've gotten me started now."

"Spare me," Grimaced Obi-Wan dramatically.

Bant ignored him; "You're not getting anything from this ward until..." She was cut off by Obi-Wan's comlink beeping. Obi-Wan smiled in relief to have temporarily escaped Bant's reproach, which as always when coming from such a close friend as Bant, he hated.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." He answered.

"_Kenobi, your presence is required by the council." S_aid Master Windu crisply, _"Please come immediately."_

"Yes, Master Windu." Said Obi-Wan, nodding though the councillor couldn't see him. He cut the connection and looked back at Bant.

"We'll finish this later." She assured him with a glare.

"Must we?" Asked Obi-Wan as he stood, ready to leave.

"Yes we must, Obi-Wan. You're not allowing yourself to heal properly by refusing to accept the weapon, and you're putting yourself _and_ others at risk."

Obi-Wan blinked, "Others?" He asked in confusion.

"Go on, shoo." Said Bant, "The council want you now, we'll talk about it later."

Still trying to figure out what Bant meant, Obi-Wan left the room. Others? What others? He couldn't work out how he was endangering anyone other than himself by not carrying a lightsaber, and he had long ago realised and accepted the risk. The thought that there were other people that he was putting at risk was unsettling.

He looked up, without realising it he had walked all the way to the Council Chambers whilst absorbed in his thoughts. And no sooner had he arrived than he was admitted. He strode to the centre of the room and bowed as was customary.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, have you had any problems since you arrived back?" Asked Ki-Adi-Mundi without further ado.

"Only friends." He muttered.

Yoda's ears twitched, "Humph, trying to help you they are." He admonished.

"I know." Conceded Obi-Wan. He was used to this sort of thing, for the last six months, every time he entered the council chambers he would be asked a series of question regarding himself—part of the council's way of checking up on him he supposed.

Usually, the only times he would be given a summons by the council though, was either for his weekly assessments as part of his probation, or for a mission, and since his last assessment had been just before he left for Carreg, he assumed that it was another mission. Which was a pity; he had really rather hoped that he'd get more than a few days off; there had been several missions in quick succession recently, and much as he enjoyed them, they were beginning to tire him.

The council asked him several other questions, all related to his psyche, before glancing around at each other. He could feel they were conferring through The Force, though what they were saying was hidden from him. At length, Master Windu nodded slightly and focused once more on the probationary Knight. "Obi-Wan," He said, "The council has decided that owing to your recent behaviour, and in the way in which you have completed your missions, you have provided sufficient evidence that probation is no longer necessary for you."

It took several long moments for the implications of that statement to sink in to Obi-Wan. He was no longer on probation, he would now travel on his missions alone, he would no longer have to let a member of the council know where he was at all times, to all intents and purposes he had finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a full Jedi Knight; he could technically even take on a Padawan of his own now—not that that was likely since he was quite sure that none of the Padawans would want him as their master, and that aside, he couldn't stand the thought of corrupting a young one by exposure to his no doubt clear darkness.

"However," Master Windu was continuing, forcing Obi-Wan to refocus his attention, "We are still concerned about some areas of your recovery. In particular we are concerned by your continued self blame and reluctance to accept outside help, to that ends, you will continue to attend the psychotherapy sessions with the healers until otherwise stated.

"We also are concerned by your refusal to even handle lightsabers in even ordinary circumstances as we believe this to be an outward symptom of failing to adequately face the true extent of your feelings on the matter. This is also more than likely a major factor on the other two points. However, since it is not a requirement of a Jedi to carry a lightsaber, and it has not affected the execution of your missions thus far, we will not _insist_ upon you carrying your lightsaber... yet."

Obi-Wan continued to stand there, slightly dizzy as Mace continued, the emotions he was feeling couldn't be identified; he couldn't work out whether he was happy, scared, irritated, disappointed or relieved. In the end he decided that he didn't feel anything—he was just numb. "I understand." He said slowly.

"Remember though, Obi-Wan." Cautioned Yarael Poof, "This is second time you've been on probation—there will not be a third."

Obi-Wan nodded slightly before asking, "Do you really think I'm ready to be off probation?—I'm not sure I do..."

"Confident is the council in its decision." Said Yoda, "Or made it we would not have." He added, a touch wryly.

"We can find no adequate reason to prevent the promotion." Added Master Windu, "Apart, of course, from the concerns I have just mentioned."

"May the Force be with you." Said Yoda in obvious dismissal.

Obi-Wan bowed as left the room, his mind still blank as he turned the proceedings of the meeting over in his mind.

"I'm still not sure that he's ready." Said Adi Gallia, as the doors closed behind him, "We are putting enormous pressure on him to succeed now; on top of everything else. He knows there won't be a third time. _And_ he's _still_ in depression."

Yoda nodded gravely, "True this is, but feel that little more there is _we_ can do for him I do. In himself his answers are, and reach them no one else can."

"I wonder what you would all think of the idea of giving him a Padawan." Said Plo Koon thoughtfully.

Several shocked faces in the council turned to stare at him. "You must be joking!" Cried Depa Billaba, scandalized. "We're wondering if he should even be off probation, and you want to give him a _Padawan_?!"

"Indeed, and yet I wonder if it wouldn't help to have somebody he was responsible for; that responsibility might help him to recognise and dispel his own problems."

"You may be right," Nodded Mace, "But I'm not sure he's ready for the responsibility just yet."

"Agree I do." Said Yaddle, "Hold off until he's used to being on his own first we should, a disaster it could be if not ready he is."

"Maybe, if wait we do, a Padawan he might find on his own." Suggested Yoda mysteriously.

"I'm not sure that he will; he wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the idea." Said Mace.

"Hmm, on probation before he was, take a Padawan he _could_ not, so perhaps convinced himself that a Padawan he _wanted_ not. Great it is the power of suggestion, maybe different things will now be."

"We can only hope..."

* * *

Obi-Wan walked in a daze down the halls of the Jedi temple, not really aware of where he was going. It seemed like a dream. Ever since he had been three years old Obi-Wan Kenobi had dreamed of being a Jedi Knight, there had been no shortage of problems along the way, first nearly not being chosen as an apprentice, then Melida/Daan, then his first probation; then when he thought he had finally just about made it, there had come Naboo. Worse, there had come the Sith—the creature responsible for ending life as he knew it.

After he had been recovered from Nar Shaddaa, he had thought that he would be dismissed from the order for good, in a way he had wanted to be; to shrink away from what he had done. But instead the council had put him on probation, and his goal was once more in reach.

Of course technically, he was made a Jedi Knight then. Since Anakin was now Qui-Gon's Padawan, and since they believed him technically proficient enough to be a Jedi Knight, the council had decided than rather than have someone to complete his training they would simply make him a Jedi Knight on probation.

But being on probation was like being a Padawan anyway. He had had none of the privileges of being a Knight; he had more or less been at the council's beck and call, and he had been accompanied on all of his missions—albeit he was now the one making the decisions. But now, he had truly reached his goal, he was a full Jedi Knight at last. And yet he couldn't help but feel that in the end it had all been rather anti-climatic, he had been knighted during his recovery, and now was just a mere formality, and truth be told he didn't feel any different.

He didn't know what he'd expected, some sudden new understanding of the Force, or some mysterious prophecy to come spurting from his mouth, but like on his eighteenth birthday, where suddenly being an adult had felt no different, neither did becoming a full knight.

In the Jedi Temple, directly between the Room of a Thousand Fountains, the Archives, the Council Spire and the Cafeteria, sat a medium sized hall. Being a room that connected several key areas of the temple it naturally attracted a lot of foot traffic. It was probably because of this that someone had first gotten the idea of placing a large monitor high above the heads of the crowd below; an information board. On this board continually scrolled a list of different Jedi related information, information such as a Jedi's current assignment—unless of course it was a secret one—whether they had recently been promoted, which Knights had taken which initiates as Padawans and, when they all too commonly happened, who had died.

It was this board that finally drove home to Obi-Wan the events of the last few minutes, a little under half way up the board was listed his own name:

Obi-Wan Kenobi—Jedi Knight—Released from probation.

It was truly amazing what a difference seven words could make. It made the situation seem real, not just a dream—he really was a full knight now, and anyone and everyone could see it. It may have not been at all how he had envisaged it, but his life-long dream had finally come true. For a moment he forgot all about the troubles that he had taken to get there, for a moment he forgot about what the other Jedi thought about him, for a moment he forgot about thoughts of not being ready, for a moment he even forgot about the grief and guilt that his tenure as Ken Ibonek had caused, and for that moment he was just Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi _Knight_ of the Republic; of the order; and of the Force.

But his moment was shortly spoiled, at the bottom of the list a new entry had appeared, one that made the guilt of his more recent past reappear with a vengeance:

Darra Thel-Tanis—Jedi Initiate—Reassigned to Explore-Corp. on Sor'udeina.

At first thought, Obi-Wan wasn't sure why he felt sympathy for the girl, she had certainly not made life easy for him since he had returned to the temple. But he knew without much further thought why, she was right, he really shouldn't have been let back into the order, he was dangerous, he had killed Jedi _Masters_ who had done nothing wrong except stray on to his path. In Particular he had killed Darra's prospect master. And Obi-Wan sympathized with her, _he_ had once been on the cusp of being sent to the Agri-corp.—he knew what it was like, and he had a feeling that he would have reacted very similarly if Qui-Gon had been killed just after finally agreeing to take him on.

"Obi-Wan! Congratulations!" Cried a voice from behind him, shaking him out of his thoughts; he turned around just in time for a bear hug from Garen Muln, an old friend. "Ha, I just knew it wouldn't be long before they made you a proper Knight!" He grinned, clapping on the back, "How are you feeling?"

"Overwhelmed would be the best choice of words." Said Obi-Wan honestly. "And maybe a little confused; I'm not ready for this Garen."

"Nonsense, you can look after yourself."

"All too well..."

"Relax, you'll be fine." Insisted Garen, waving Obi-Wan's protests away, "You'll be back to the Obi-Wan we all love to hate soon enough."

Garen's optimism was infectious and Obi-Wan found himself hoping that just maybe he was right.

"Now, there's going to be a party over this." Said Garen, dragging him away from the Assignment Hall towards the Room of a Thousand Fountains, "You didn't let us throw you one when you were 'knighted', so you're having one now."

"Must I?" groaned Obi-Wan.

"Yeah, you must." Said Garen, as they walked into the gentle roar of hundreds of waterfalls.

"But... but..." Scrambled Obi-Wan, looking for some way out of the parties that he'd grown to hate somewhere in his early twenties, "I know you lot, you'll make a mess of my quarters and _I'll_ be the one who has to clean it up." He finally settled on.

"We'll have it somewhere else then, I'm not taking no for an answer Obi-Wan. You're having a party whether you like it or not."

"What's he having a party for?" Asked Siri making her presence known as she strode the last couple of metres towards them.

"He's off probation." Roared Garen proudly, thumping Obi-Wan on the back again.

"You needn't let the whole temple know, just Siri would have been enough." Groaned Obi-Wan, wincing from the blow to the back.

"Just Siri, eh?" Drawled the blond Jedi, her wide smile betraying her otherwise cold tone, "Well I was going to congratulate you, Kenobi, but if that's the way you feel about me..." She trailed off... but them, "Well done, Obi-Wan." She said, giving up her miserable pretence of indifference and hugging him. It was only a short hug, such as one might expect from a mere friend, but as she pulled back, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek that turned his face more than a little pink.

"Hey, that's not fair. No one ever gives me a kiss!" Whined Garen, either oblivious to the true nature of the slight slip on Siri's part, or pretending he was. Either way Obi-Wan was immensely grateful. "Would you like _me_ to give you one?" He asked innocently.

"Ew, second thought let's pass on that." Responded Garen while Siri snorted. The three walked around in an easy silence for a few minutes, just looking around the gardens as they hadn't done since they were young Padawans.

"It's just so hard to believe." Said Obi-Wan at last.

"What is?" Siri.

"After everything that's happened, everything I've done... and yet here I am a full knight where so many others have faltered."

"You're not going to go dark and broody on us again are you?"

"I'm just not sure I deserve it. Why have I succeeded where so many more worthy people have failed?" Questioned Obi-Wan.

"I'll take that as a big yes—" Said Siri

"Is this about that Initiate, Obi-Wan?" Asked Garen cautiously. "Thel-Tanis?"

"She was reassigned to the Explore corp. just after I was released from probation." Nodded Obi-Wan glumly.

"And what makes you so certain that she's any more deserving than you?" Asked Siri.

"I've killed Jedi for a start and she hasn't"

"You turned your back on the dark side and she hasn't." Countered Siri, "Instead she's embraced it."

"Embraced the Dark Side? I wouldn't say—"

"Anger and hate. Aren't they what we're supposed to train to avoid?" Said Garen.

"And initiate Thel-Tanis has both." Said Siri darkly.

"She's just upset..."

"And you're just been silly. Yes it's unfortunate that she's been sent to the service corp. rather than been taken by a master. But you fully deserve this promotion." Said Garen earnestly.

"Besides, if she had been taken by a master, she might have fallen to the dark side anyway with such anger within her." Said Siri.

"That's what they all said about me..." Said Obi-Wan with a hollow smile, "But then I guess they were right—though not for the reasons that they thought..."

"Ha! You see! You admit that it wasn't your fault, we're finally getting somewhere with you, Kenobi!" Laughed Garen. "C'mon, enough on that topic, we're planning your party now." He continued before Obi-Wan could protest.

"So tell us whether you prefer streamers or confetti—you're the one who's going to have to clean it up after all." Added Siri jovially, as they marched Obi-Wan further into the gardens.

* * *

Darra trudged slowly back to the initiate's ward, feeling like she was wearing duracrete boots. After training for over eleven years to become a Jedi, she had not been chosen; she was to be shipped off to the Explore-Corp. on some forgotten world tonight—barely enough time to pack and say goodbye to everyone.

And to add insult to injury, Obi-Wan Kenobi had had his probational condition removed; barely half an hour before she'd been booted out.

Obi-Wan Kenobi made her furious. Not only had he killed her prospect master, and evidently the only prospect she had had, but the council had actually let him back into the order! And if that wasn't enough they'd gone and knighted him! Darra wasn't sure how after everything that had happened with Kenobi over the years how anyone in their right mind could have installed the honour of knighthood onto the monster, particularly when so many other more worthy people had failed, but the supposedly wisest people in the order had made these choices—personally, Darra wondered if the lack of oxygen at the altitude of the council spire was affecting their brains somehow.

Carefully, Darra reached out and touched the panel to the side of a familiar door, the thick sheet of plastisteel shooting out of sight to reveal her room. Like every initiate, she had been moved from the initiate dormitories to a private room when she reached the age of eight, and like every other initiate, she'd hoped that one day she would be moved again, this time to a shared quarters with a master.

But for Darra it obviously just wasn't meant to be.

She took a good look around her little room, she'd never spent a great deal of time in it, but it was obviously hers, on the small desk sat a hologram of her parents that had been sent with her when she'd arrived at the temple. Another on her bedside table showed her and her friends, Tru, Ferus, Sandy & Anakin after their impressive placings during the lightsaber tournament just under a year ago. It had been Darra's performance at that competition that had first drawn Master Antara's attention to her.

There wasn't much else, a few datapads and some worn changes of clothes—Initiates didn't have much in the way of personal belongings. Darra tipped the holograms and two changes of clean washing into a small bag, and placed everything else in a pile on top of her sleep couch; in a few hours, the cleaners would come around and remove the datapads and clothes, and the last traces that Darra had ever attended the Jedi Temple would be gone. She looked around her room for the last time and sobbed, leaving the room with her bag clutched in one arm, and desperately trying to wipe the tears out of her eyes with the other.

It was almost time for her to go.

With a sniff, she began to walk towards the main hanger from whence the ship that would take her to Sor'udeina would depart.

As she walked through the corridors of the Jedi Temple for the last time, Darra tried to commit every detail to memory, from the smells to the fine cracks in some of the pillars to the soft light that the whole temple seemed to be lit it, from the sounds of other Jedi talking and laughing, to the clash of lightsabers that rang out as she passed the training sallies and the smell of ozone that they emitted as they sliced through the air.

She would probably never see another lightsaber again, she'd left her training weapon on her bed along with her datapads, and no one else in the explore corp. would have them either she was sure.

Then at last she left the hustle and bustle of the rest of the temple behind as she walked down a deserted corridor that would take her directly to the hanger precinct.

It was someone's idea of a bad joke, decided Darra, that merely the length of the corridor from the hanger, a cloaked Jedi turned into her corridor and began walking down it towards her—and of course, it just _happened_ to be Obi-Wan Kenobi. Darra stopped irritably in the middle of passage as the traitor came closer and snarled "Come to gloat, have you."

"Darra." Said Kenobi sadly.

"You have no right to call me by my first name, Kenobi." Snapped Darra, relieving her frustrations on the one man in the galaxy that she hated above all others.

"Thel-Tanis then. I came to apologize to you," Said the Knight softly, "This is all my fault and..."

"Of course it's your fault!" Snorted Darra, "Your psychopathic rampage is what left me without a master, you've managed to get the Council on your side, but I know the truth! You're still in league with the Dark Side—I've heard the things you say when your friends aren't around, about how you'll never be able to give up the dark side, and how you wonder how the Council can't have noticed your inner darkness, I've heard it all!"

"Have you been stalking me?" Blinked Kenobi stupidly.

"Someone had to keep an eye on you," She replied venomously," I suppose that now you've managed to get rid of me, you'll be able to go around with all your plans without anyone noticing."

"Look, I don't know how much you've heard, but..."

"Don't bother, Kenobi. I know it's worked on everyone else, but I won't be taken in by your words." Snapped Darra, "If you came to kill me, do so; if not then leave me alone!"

"I didn't come here to kill you. I know how you feel, Darra. I was sent to the agri-corp. at one point. I know what the disappointment's like."

Darra felt repressed emotions within her welling up—threatening to overwhelm her in front of her enemy, but she forced them away and responded angrily, "And were you going there because you're master had been killed by a Dark Jedi who was supposed to be an ally? I think not."

"Actually yes, from a certain point of view that is what happened." Said the knight reflectively. Darra snorted with disbelief, she wondered how he'd convinced anyone with his lies, pathetic as they were.

"Darra, I know you don't like me..."

"_Loath_ is not a strong enough word."

"...but it's my fault that you have to leave, so I was wondering if..."

"If what?" Demanded Darra impatiently.

"If you still want to become a Jedi Knight, you... consider being my Padawan..." He finished at last.

Darra stood rooted in shock, not in a thousand years would she have guessed the words that had just left the Dark Jedi's mouth. It went against everything that she thought she'd known about the introverted, scheming man.

But at the same time it made some sick kind of sense—dimly she wondered if he'd set it all up, or whether he was just taking advantage of it as it happened—he had convinced everyone else that he was to be trusted, what better way to poison the last remaining doubter than to take her as his Padawan, when if she refused she would never be a Jedi.

A smirk passed across her lips, "Master Kenobi," She said evenly, "I wouldn't be your Padawan if you were the _last_ person left in the galaxy!"

The knight reeled back like he'd been slapped in the face, '_take that!' _Thought Darra triumphantly. Without waiting for a response, she breezed past him, walking as fast as she could to the hanger without looking back. Some part of her deep inside protested at the fact that she had just passed up on her last opportunity to become a Jedi, but she knew that she'd be better off never becoming a Jedi than being corrupted by Kenobi.

* * *

Obi-Wan stared after the retreating form of Darra Thel-Tanis, feeling shattered. On reflection, he wondered how he could have thought that it would have ended differently given what he knew that she thought of him. But when he had seen her name up on the reassignment board, he had thought that he would finally be able to make up for killing her master.

Part of him though, was relieved that she had refused, he didn't know what he would have done if he'd corrupted her with his dark presence—maybe she was better off in the service corp. anyway.

Frowning, he considered one of the things that Darra had said, he wondered if anyone else had heard his woebegone musings in the more isolated parts of The Room of a Thousand Fountains and assumed the same thing as Darra, that he was laughing at the council's stupidity at not sensing his inner darkness. As it happened he did wonder about those things; but he certainly wasn't laughing. It deeply worried him that no one seemed to be able to feel the darkness that he surely must project.

Sighing, he turned in the opposite direction, walking slowly along the corridor as though it was he and not the young girl who was bound for the Service Corp. He needed to return to the healer's ward to get his burn cream, and hope that he could endure Bant's lecture, then he suspected that he wouldn't get much further before Garen and Siri tracked him down and dragged him kicking and screaming to the party that they were organising.

* * *

Darra stood before the large freighter that was docked at a landing platform extended from the Jedi temple. The ship only stopped here a short time, she'd been told, while it dropped off information and samples from its last mission, picked up miscellaneous failed Jedi apprentices, and reloaded on fuel.

Already the engines were beginning to warm up, and the Jedi who had helped refuel and unload the ship were beginning to draw away from the landing platform, returning to other duties. Some gave Darra a sympathetic look as they past, others just ignored her, none of them hung around any longer than they had to.

With a look back at the place where she had grown up, Darra walked up the ramp onto the ship and slipped into a seat next to a viewport, a few of the other occupants of the ship nodded to her, as she uncomfortably stuffed her bag underneath her seat.

With a low hum and then a hiss, the ramp rose and sealed off the spaceship to the outside world, a few seconds later the craft began moving and very quickly the Jedi Temple fell away. The ship cleared the atmosphere and turned slightly, making a last minute course correction, then with a slight thud, the stars stretched into ribbons outside the craft and Coruscant disappeared in a flash of blue light.

And Darra, despite herself, found herself choking slightly as tears fell freely from her eyes.

* * *

**I had some kind of brain fade at the end of the chapter , I'm not happy with it at all... grrr! Anyway, I decided to move the party to the next chapter, this one just got to cluttered with other stuff and it would have felt really weird to just stick it on at the end.**

**Sorry once again for the long wait, hopefully the next one won't be as long. Though who knows...**

NEXT TIME: The party, and some questions answered.


	6. C h a p t e r S i x

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Geri K - Ha, no time soon, or else there would be no story!**

**Daniella Harwood - Thank you. I tend to think that I like my style better in this one too, it's a bit more lively.**

**nxkris - ? ! ?**

**Darth Keyara - Ha! Don't worry, Omega is going to be plenty Xanatos enough before this story is out.**

**The Reaper55 - [erects energy shield to counteract sniper rifle] I wasn't planning on Obi-Wan using Form 7, for one thing I don't think it suits his personality, for another, he is so paranoid about touching the Dark Side that he wouldn't touch form 7 with a barge pole.**

**Lady Lurker - Sorry for the Ultra late _update_! I'm glad you like Bant, she probably a bit OOC, but hey, I think she would be pretty cross that her friend's on the slippery slope and there's not really a lot she can do to help him! Yeah, Darra's kinda got a bit out of my control, when I first thought this story out, she was a total pain in the neck and somewhat darkish, but every time I write her she gets more and more... well bordering evil!**

**Eshlyn Kar - Sorry...**

**Bladeandroses - Oh, so you think you've got it all worked out do you...? [menacingly]**

**Estora - I have been hiding... in the nuclear reactor, which has caused my brain to go radioactive and produce this just plain _weird_ chapter. But thank you, and I hope to Chancellorcide updated soon!**

**Right, sorry for taking so long, you can all take potshots at me if you like - I have been assured that the Authors' sheild will protect me. Right, I was planning to post this chapter monthes ago, but it was just so damn hard to write! I was literally going at a line a day at times... anyway, here it is, its a bit random in places and in my oppinion it lacks any real dynamic flow, but I think its about as good as it's gonna get. So please enjoy.  
**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - S I X

**The Party**

_-"Soon... Soon I will live again and I will finally have my revenge! It's so close I can _feel_ it... Soon..."__**— ? ? ?  
**_

Anakin sat impatiently at one of the chairs at his and Qui-Gon's rather large table which sat in the middle of their quarters, its plastic-y white surface pitted and stained from years of use. In one hand he held a large, milky mug of tea that despite his outright conviction and best efforts, his master had managed to convert him to. In the other hand, he held a datapad which contained the arrest reports of one Jonathan Silver—the pirate that they had been sent capture before his capture and their subsequent aiding of Obi-Wan and Master Windu.

Qui-Gon's last directive before going to present to the Council for their debriefing had been to read through the report until he got back and make sure that everything had been handled properly. Well so far he'd read the boring, ten screen report five times, and apart from the fact that whoever had written the report had misspelled trailed as trialled no fewer than eight times, he was yet to see anything out of order.

Growing frustrated with his master and the length of time he'd been gone—it had to be going on three hours now—Anakin flung the datapad across the table, reluctantly reaching out with the Force just in time to stop it from skidding off the edge.

He sighed heavily. A couple of hours ago he had received a visit from Darra, who after barely avoiding breaking down into tears had explained that she had been transferred away to the service corp. and would be leaving today. If fact, considered Anakin, glancing at the large digital chronometer above the kitchen bench, she would already have left by now.

He had been sad to see her go. She was one of the few other Padawans aside from Tru Veld who had really accepted him into the Jedi Order. Ferus, when he wasn't been directly hostile, gained an even more annoying air of superiority over him, and most of the other Padawans just followed along with him. But if anything recently this tendency had reversed, Darra had become cold and aloof, uninterested in anything except her obsession over Obi-Wan Kenobi, while Ferus, had become almost bearable in their, Tru and Sandy's frequent discussions about their mutual friend.

Truth be told, Anakin could have been sadder, but he felt that Darra had left them all months ago—about six months ago to be precise. Anakin had always been guaranteed a position in the Jedi Order, He had been Qui-Gon's Padawan from the moment he stepped into the building, so he had never known the described 'agonizing' expectation of waiting to be chosen, but he could imagine what it would be like; And he could he estimate what it would be like to suddenly have your almost assured master dead, but the way in which Darra had reacted was extreme. She had drawn away from all her friends and had started spending long periods of time trailing Obi-Wan around, spying on his every deed while he was at the temple, and lecturing her friends about his evil plans to destroy the Jedi while he was away. She had changed from the light-hearted and easy going person she had been into a cold, serious, obsessive shell.

His musings where broken in to by the door to the quarters sliding open, "Master, It's about t..." he broke off as he turned around to face the door, finding not his master, but the far shorter chestnut haired Garen Muln striding easily through them. "Oh, it's you." He said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Padawan Skywalker." Drawled Garen.

"Well you did just break into my master's and my quarters." Replied Anakin.

"I knocked three times. And the door _was_ unlocked." Said Garen without breaking pace. "Is your master here?"

"No," Scowled Anakin, "He's been at a council meeting for three hours! Or at least... if he's somewhere different he hasn't told me." He wasn't as ungrateful as he sounded, his master was infrequently tardy without good reason, but Qui-Gon _had_ told him to read the report until he returned, and Anakin was beginning to suspect that if he read the report one more time he would be repeating Jonathan Silver's rap sheet in his sleep tonight.

"Ah well, you know the council, they're probably asking him the exact number of windows there were on the east side of the castle that you almost took out. Bless them." Said Garen fondly.

"How do you know about that?" Asked Anakin irritably.

"Obi-Wan told me." Said Garen simply. "We ran into each other a while back... and speaking of Obi-Wan, have you heard the news?" He asked.

Before Anakin could respond the door shot open again and Sandy Ger'Whit stepped into the room, "What's the deal?" complained Anakin, "You can't say that _you_ knocked, Sandy."

"Sorry, Anakin." Replied the other Padawan, "But Master asked me to meet him here."

"Indeed I did." Agreed Garen warmly, "Did you do what I asked?"

"Yep," Replied the ash blond, "I hacked onto the server and sent it to all of Master Obi-Wan's listed contacts, everyone should be receiving invitations at any moment now."

"Invitations?" Questioned Anakin slowly, "For what?"

"See for yourself." Said Garen as a beep on the answering machine alerted Anakin to the arrival of a message. With a suspicious look at the grinning Master-Padawan team, Anakin carefully pressed the playback message on the small recorder.

"Howdy," Started the recorded voice of Garen, "You are cordially invited to the apartment of Obi-Wan Kenobi for a party to celebrate his knighting!"

'_Knighting?' _Mouthed Anakin in shock.

"The party will begin at 2000 hours, with the consumption of much alcohol—The alcohol consumption may begin much earlier however, so do not bother to knock. There will be food and drink provided by our host in quantities that should make even a certain Dressellian happy, and loud music for dancing which will continue until the first bell tomorrow, or closure by the council—which ever happens sooner.

"The party is only open to 100 people however, so we will be working on a first in best dressed premise; emphasis on the dressed part of it. It is also asked that attendees bring as many streamers and confetti as possible to shower the subject of the party with.

"We look forward to seeing you tonight." And with that the voice cut out leaving a gaping Anakin standing over it. Slowly his bemused expression turned into an evil grin.

"Oh, someone is going to get into _so_ much trouble..." He grinned. "Does _Obi-Wan_ know he's doing all this cooking and wine serving?"

"Nope! Isn't it great?" Smiled Garen happily.

"So he's been taken off probation?" Asked Anakin.

"Just a few hours ago." Replied Sandy, "And Master's been cooking this up ever since."

"Not even some of the more stuffy council members can resist a good party." Grinned Garen, "And we all know whom I'm referring to..."

At that moment, the door swished open again and Siri Tachi strode in, "I thought I felt you in here, Garen." She said.

"Yeah, Hello to you too Master Tachi." Muttered Anakin in exasperation, "Don't bother knocking, will you? No one else does."

"You do realize that Obi-Wan is going to kill you when he sees that message." Said the blond woman, ignoring Anakin's comment.

"Nah, he's too much a goody two-shoes."

"Lucky for you."

With another swish the door flew open yet _again_ and a rather harried looking Obi-Wan stepped in. Anakin Groaned, "Oh, for pity's sake, why don't you just invite a couple more people around and we'll have the party here instead?" he asked no one in particular.

Obi-Wan at least though had the decency to apologize, "Sorry, about the intrusion Anakin," He said, "I just came to catch my _former_ friends before they disappear into their next nefarious scheme."

"Former friends? My dear Obi-Wan, where is your sense of humour?" asked Garen.

"Somewhere on Naboo. Now you can't just invite everyone in the temple over to my place! I don't have enough room; they'll make a mess; and I don't _want_ a party!"

"Last I checked, 100 people didn't qualify as everyone in the temple..." Said Garen brightly, only to wither under the glare that Obi-Wan shot him.

"Relax, Obi-Wan." Placated Siri, "Despite what we said, we're not going to leave all the party food and drink up to you..."

"We're not?"

"..._Garen_ and I intend to turn up an hour or so early to help prepare food while Sandy sets up the speakers for the sound system." Finished Siri as she quite deliberately trod on Garen's toe.

"That's not the point!" Sighed Obi-Wan in exasperation. "I. Don't. _Want._ A party!"

"Yes, we heard you the first time." Replied Garen as Anakin shook his head in disbelief at the argument occurring in his quarters.

"Then why don't you listen to me?"

"Because you need to loosen up a bit more, you've been too uptight since you've returned, even more than before. We're only doing it for your own good Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan glared at him, then at Siri, then back at Garen again. "Since I know that you were the main instigator of this, YOU Garen, are going to be the one cleaning up my quarters, and I'm sleeping on _your_ couch until it's done!"

"Deal."

At that moment the door slid open _again_. Anakin's irritation returned in a flash, "In the name of..." He snapped, looking over at the door, "The message says not to knock at _Obi-Wan's_, not... Oh hi, Master." He finished sheepishly as Qui-Gon strode in bemusedly.

"Did I interrupt anything?" Asked the master.

"No, no. Sandy and I were just leaving." Said Garen easily. Bowing slightly as he made a practiced and rather efficient escape.

"I was leaving, too." Said Siri, tugging at Obi-Wan's sleave, "Come on you; let's not overstay our welcome." She added as she forcefully pulled him from the room, leaving a stunned Padawan still seated at the table, and an amused master standing a few strides into away from the doorway.

"By the way Anakin, where are your manners?" Asked Qui-Gon as he turned back to face him, "Don't tell me that you invited all those people in and didn't even offer them a drink?"

Anakin just rolled his eyes and smacked his forehead on the table top.

* * *

Obi-Wan was not quite sure how it had happened—he wasn't convinced that Garen hadn't mind tricked him in one of his weaker moments, but the party was going on full swing now. As Siri had promised, she and Garen had showed up early to prepare food, and Obi-Wan actually had little to do until it started. In the end he amused himself by running around and hiding everything remotely fragile in his wardrobe, knowing all too well the damage that fifty plus tipsy Jedi could cause.

He still wasn't sure how everybody had managed to cram into his small quarters, particularly after Garen's Padawan had set up gigantic speakers in every corner of the room which were now blaring out music that Obi-Wan didn't care for at all... but somehow, about 60 people were grouped around the room under multi-coloured strobe lights, from his former master and his friends, to even a few of the council members.

Master Windu was there, with a grim expression on his face, and while he continuously shot looks at the blaring speakers that should have melted them on the spot, Obi-Wan was sure that at least 50 percent of it was for show, since he had made no move to leave, or to shut anything down. Master Yoda on the other hand had really gotten into the spirit of the party, and Obi-Wan had a feeling that the image of the ancient master performing a nimble sword dance over crossed lightsabers to the beat of a metallic tune would be one that stuck with him for quite a while.

"So aren't you enjoying yourself?" Called Garen as Obi-Wan scuttled by, trying to find another bottle of Corillian Ale for some of his guests.

"I will never forgive you for this." Muttered Obi-Wan as he watched Qui-Gon dancing a wild Tango with Adi-Gallia.

"Oh _do_ lighten up!" Grinned Garen, "Go and dance with Siri or something. Look, I'll show you how easy it is." With a quick wink, set his untouched glass of wine down and waltzed off and engaged one of the other Jedi in a dance. Obi-Wan shook his head disapprovingly and turned away, deciding he needed a rather stiff drink, he picked up the full wine glass and quickly skulled it down before resuming his attempt to get drinks for his guests.

Siri walked through the crowded room, searching in vain for Obi-Wan, who would no doubt be trying to pull his hair out by this stage. Spotting Master Windu, she resolved to ask him if he'd seen their errant host, but before she could get there, the Koran master plucked a vibrating commlink of his belt and held it up to his ear. "Yes...? Oh hello Chancellor, what a pleasant surprise... no... no I'm- I'm on a mission... yes, lead in a night club... yes, of course... Strictest importance..."

Siri, just being able to hear Master Windu's side of the conversation, put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing. Only Master Windu could pull off pretending to be hard at work when he was in fact at a party for one of the order's newest knights. Nevertheless, Master Windu noticed her and glared as he continued his discussion: "No, I'm finished now... I was just leaving as a matter of fact... Really? Did they indeed...? Yes, if you could forward the data to my personal Datapad I'd be most interested to look into it... Yes of course, Your Excellency... Yes, May the Force be with you."

"Tachi." The dark master, noted as he pressed the commlink back onto his belt. "Would you be as so kind as to inform Obi-Wan I'm leaving? And if you happen to see Yoda, tell him something important's come up and to contact me straight away."

"Yes, of course, Master Windu." She nodded, still grinning, "By the way, nice save there with the Chancellor." She added.

"And would _you_ have admitted that you were at a party with the Chancellor at the other end of the line?" Glared Master Windu before pushing past her toward the door. Siri chuckled again as she watched the High Jedi Master walk away, before resuming her search for Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan as it happened had just been caught by Bant, as he tried to find somewhere somewhat quiet to catch his thoughts for a few minutes... or seconds at least. "Oh, hi, Bant." He greeted as he came face to face with the foot tapping healer.

"You never returned for your check up." She glowered crossly.

"Yes, well about that... I did have a good excuse at least..."

Bant broke a genuine smile, "Yes, I have to congratulate you before I go any further, Obi-Wan. You really deserve it."

"Before you go any further..." Repeated Obi-Wan dubiously as he returned Bant's embrace.

"Yes." Said Bant sternly, expression suddenly as hard as nails again. "About our discussion we were having before you left."

"About the 'others' I'm putting at risk?" asked Obi-Wan, dragging his befuddled, and by now slightly tipsy, mind kicking and screaming back to their last conversation.

"Yes. Tell me Obi-Wan, where in your fantastic _'I won't need my lightsaber, and if I do, it's better that I die than _'theoretically'_ turn back to the dark side,'_ plan do you account for what happens if it's civilians or hostages that need protection in the form of a lightsaber?"

Obi-Wan blinked. "I hadn't thought of that..."

"Obviously."

"Th— They could die..."

"They could."

Obi-Wan's face hardened, "But so they could if—"

"Obi-Wan!" Groaned Bant, "Look, just promise me you'll take it on your next mission."

"I'll think about it..." Conceded Obi-Wan.

"I suppose that's a start." Muttered Bant, her body language still clearly stating her disapproval.

"There you are, Obi-Wan!" Called a voice to Obi-Wan's great relief, a moment later Siri squeezed her way out through the crowd. "How are you getting along, Bant?" She added, seeing the Mon Calamari, "You're not giving Obi-Wan too much of a hard time are you?"

"Probably." Allowed Bant, "But we both know sometimes he needs it."

"Yes, on occasion." Agreed Siri cheerfully, "He can be a bit dim witted at times."

"What is this? Gang up on Obi-Wan day or something?" Questioned Obi-Wan, grumpily.

"Oh, do lighten up."

"Why should I lighten up!" Hissed Obi-Wan, "Everyone keeps telling me to lighten up. I'm _sick_ of people telling me to lighten up!"

At that moment the conversation was interrupted as a bit of a murmur went through crowd, Anakin Skywalker had started a wildly over-the-top freeform dance, using as many Force augmented flips and acrobatics as it seemed was humanly possible, to the general amusement of the gathered Jedi. Obi-Wan used the opportunity to slip away from his friends – he didn't really feel in the mood for their tiresome, if well-meaning, meddling. With relief, he crept into a short hallway that seemed to have been forgotten about by everyone else, the corridor from which his room, the refresher and a spare room – just in case he should he ever want to take on a Padawan, which he rather doubted – opened from. With a relieved sigh, he slumped against the wall, glad for even the temporary reprieve.

Apparently he didn't do a good enough job at escaping unnoticed though, because a few seconds later, Siri joined him in his somewhat secluded corner.

"I'm sorry, Obi-Wan." She said, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"For what?" Asked Obi-Wan heavily.

"This is meant to be your party, Bant and I shouldn't be going out of our way to make it miserable for you."

"Don't worry about it." Said Obi-Wan softly. "I must profess to have never had a particularly great time at parties – if it's not the loud music and conniving politicians, its people getting murdered by the knife meant to cut the cake!"

Siri chuckled.

"I was being serious."

"I know you were," Grinned Siri, "And speaking of serious, you'll never guess what I just saw Master Windu doing before."

"What...?" Asked Obi-Wan cautiously.

"Chancellor Palpatine contacted him while he was here at the party, and Master Windu told him he was on a mission of, eh-hem, 'vital importance'!" Said Siri, imitating the councillor's gruff voice.

Obi-Wan cradled his face in his hands and snorted. "Oh dear." He said, "I don't know how he ever had the _time_ to answer the chancellor's call, what with all the partying he was busy doing!"

"Indeed, ah, the sacrifices we have to make to cater for our politicians." Sighed Siri theatrically.

Obi-Wan smiled briefly. "Thank you, Siri, I know you're trying to cheer me up, and it _has_ worked." He glanced around at all the people who had arrived late and were standing around, still obviously without drinks. He sighed, "Well, I suppose I'd better get back to my hosterical duties." He said.

"Is that even a word?"

Obi-Wan shrugged.

"Just try to enjoy yourself a little, Kenobi." Said Siri softly, "Just go with the flow a little."

Obi-Wan turned to go, but then on the spur of the moment, turned back to Siri and kissed her lightly on the lips. She tensed.

"What are you doing?" She asked, as he pulled back.

"Going with the flow." Smiled Obi-Wan.

Siri glared and hit him on the arm, "Well don't do that!" she hissed; "What if someone sees?"

"Then I shall deny everything and blame it on the effects of the alcohol."

"You could just about get away with it too!" Shot back Siri, playfully wafting her hand by her nose as if offended by a smell. "Now don't do it again, and get out of here before people start wondering where there host has gone!"

"Yes ma'am!" Obi-Wan chuckled and returned back into the fray that was his living quarters, Siri silently watched him vanish back into the crowd, her right hand gently touching her lips where he had kissed them...

* * *

"Important I hope this is, Master Windu..." Frowned Master Yoda as the two met in the human's private office (Which was bestowed upon all councillors and some other senior Jedi like Jocasta Nu). "Enjoying the party I was!"

"Not vitally so." Responded Mace, "But it is certainly something that we need to be aware of, and it's something that could become a serious issue."

"Hmm, always serious it is with you." Muttered Yoda, "Not the only one who needs to lighten up, Obi-Wan is."

A ghost of a smile drifted across Mace's features, at this statement, and he nodded his head in acknowledgement "Ah! You see? Better that is!" Barked Yoda happily, using the Force to pull over a chair from against the wall to in front of Mace's desk. "Now, what of importance have you to discuss!"

Rolling his eyes slightly, and wondering whether or not the green master hadn't had a drink too many, Mace opened up his holographic browser and opened the most recently received file from the chancellor's office. "I received a communiqué from the Chancellor just before." He began, "And he told me that he had received word from the Sor'udeinian government, who were in turn, notified by a mining corporation, 'Breachring', that they had drilled into what appears to be a Sith tomb on the planet."

"A Sith tomb?" Repeated Yoda, his demeanour suddenly becoming far grimmer.

"It looks that way, they've temporarily shut down the mining operation there, and I took the liberty of asking the Explore Corp. branch there to investigate the site, they should have logged their preliminary obs* by tomorrow night our time."

"Hmm, a strange place Sor'udeina is for an ancient Sith burial." Mused Yoda, "Heard not the slightest rumour of such a case, I have not."

"And why should it be an _ancient_ grave?" Whispered Mace lowly, "Maybe we have not heard of it with good reason!"

"Refer you do to Qui-Gon's mysterious opponent, you do." Stated Yoda with his eyebrows so creased that they formed a solid line.

"Sor'udeina _is_ just off the main Hyperlane that travels near Naboo." Affirmed Mace. "It's not so unlikely that it could be a more recent tomb, one of the Zebrak's ancestors as it were."

"Hmm, careful we must be... If a recent hideout it is, our knowledge of it we do not want to reveal to the Sith!"

"I suggest that we let the Explore Corps. take a look first, they'll keep a much lower profile than sending a Jedi would, and I happen to know that a member there – Klien Him Hurjg has a good knowledge of Sith artefacts. Then maybe we can send reinforcements if it _does_ turn out to be linked to Naboo."

"Hmm, agree I do." Nodded Yoda deliberately, "But run it by the council in the morning we should..."

* * *

An exhausted Obi-Wan surveyed the state of his quarters, the party had finished quite some time ago now, and slowly all the guests had drifted out, leaving behind a rather spectacular mess. Used flimsi plates and cups had been left on every horizontal surface, streamers and crumbs lay scattered all over the floor, several bottles of wine and Corillian ale lay half empty upon the kitchen bench... and Obi-Wan was divining great pleasure in holding Garen to his promise of cleaning it all up. The chestnut haired man walked groggily to and fro around the room collecting dishes, holding his hand up to his head to ease a severe headache that seemingly the alcohol had created, "Uh, I'm gunna have such a hangover in the morning." Garen complained gloomily.

"Your fault." Obi-Wan reminded him unsympathetically.

"Since when did you start enjoying such a perverse pleasure as watching your friends suffer?"

"Since they started dobbing me in for parties that I didn't want." Shot back Obi-Wan as he let the cleaning droid out of its cupboard and watched it go running eagerly about the floor, eating up all the crumbs and streamers, letting out all manner of beeps and whistles along the way. Dimly he wondered how a droid could get so excited about _anything_ let alone a mess, but as clean and tidy as he usually was, perhaps it was simply grateful to have a run around. Obi-Wan frowned, evidently he was spending too much time around Anakin; he never used to think of droids as individual entities. If he wasn't careful he was going to start to get concerned about hurting their feelings as well.

Speaking of Anakin, Obi-Wan glanced over to where he and Sandy Ger'Whit lay flaked out on the couch suite, all the day's excitement evidently having worn them out, Tru Veld had been half carried home by his master after flaking out at the same time as the other Padawans. Ferus Olin of course, had treated the whole gathering as impartially as Obi-Wan would have if he hadn't been 'hosting' the event, and had gone home with Siri a couple of minutes before, the both of them looking weary in the eyes, but still very much upright. Qui-Gon Jinn stood over the sleeping Padawans with an amused expression on his face as he too watched Garen go about tidying up, but he responded to Obi-Wan's earlier comment with mock seriousness, "Now, now, former Padawan. As I'm sure you know a Jedi doesn't seek revenge."

"Oh but I do go in for poetic justice, Master." Grinned Obi-Wan as Garen tripped over a streamer that the cleaning droid was obliviously trying to suck up. "And it doesn't get much better than this." With another flash of a grin at his former master, he broke his own word and went over to help Garen with the tidying up. It wasn't until much later, when the apartment was once again spotless, and the other two Jedi had taken their exhausted Padawan's home; that he had gone a whole evening without once thinking about his time as Ibonek. He smiled distantly as he snuggled into his bed, and wondered if that hadn't been his friends' plan all along!

* * *

**Yeesh, was it as bad as I think it is? By the way, the invitation is a slight variation on a REAL invertation I once recieved, so it wasn't entirely random.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think, and I'll try and get the next chapter out sometime this mellenium.**

**Next time... A little more Anakin/Obi-Wan interaction, the Sor'udeinian problem becomes a problem, and Obi-Wan gets a mission!  
**


	7. C h a p t e r S e v e n

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

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**Darth Keyara - Yeah, Like I said, it was based on one of my Uncle's, he likes weird things like that.  
**

**Geri K - All will be relieved in the fullness of time.  
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**Master of the Obvious 7 - Sorry, I tried...  
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**Eshlyn Kar - Glad you liked it.  
**

**The Reaper55 - [erects impenetrable Author's shield to counteract Missile Launcher] Will wonders never cease... apparently not because it seems again that I let the amount of time between updates get away from me...  
**

**xfighter4 - Glad you like**

**cje24576 - Glad you like  
**

**Master of the Obvious 7 (again) - No, the story has not been abandoned, rest assured I'd let you know it it was, I'm not going to promise a quick update, since that seems to have fallen flat the last few times, but I can say that we're getting to the more interesting part of the story now, and I have some new ideas that I'd like to try out.  
**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - S E V E N

**The Bane Sith  
**

_-"A problem there is, and were a problem is, seldom are the Sith far away...__"__**— Yoda**_

"...What is important to remember is that as Jedi we try to interpret the Will of the Force, but because we are different people, we can interpret it in different ways. Which is one of, but certainly not the only, dangers of trying to divine the future." Said Master Windu, gazing around at the students gathered before him. "Does that help answer your question?"

"Yes Master Windu." Answered the group of 10 year olds almost unanimously, But to one of them, a young human female named Aubrie*****, the answer gave more questions than it answered. Tentatively, she raised her hand.

"Yes Aubrie?" Asked the famous council member taking the class.

"Master, I thought that a Jedi was supposed to be able to use the Force to help them make decisions..." The young initiate answered.

"Yes and no." Replied Master Windu thoughtfully, "With many years of experience comes a better understanding of what the Force is telling us is happening, and from that knowledge, combined with self wisdom and a clear thought process, we can usually intuit the best course of action. But only the most powerful and experienced Jedi can use the Force to tell them what to do like some cosmic datapad if that's what you mean.

Remember that once you become Padawans, and are confronted with the hard decisions of a mission, your best bet is a clear and calm mind, unaffected by the emotions of the conflict. Such as state can only be achieved by the peace and order that the Force can bring to your inner self. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Was the unanimous answered the class gave again.

"Good. Now then, as I'm sure you're all going to groan about, so don't bother, Calmness of mind is brought about by inner-peace, and the easiest and most complete way to achieve that is by meditation—"

"Master Windu!" Called an older Padawan as she threw the door open and charged into the room.

"This had better be important, Padawan Secura." Said Master Windu, as he suddenly seemed to grow several feet, towering over the Senior Padawan. This was the reason that younglings and even older Padawans universally feared the Korun Master, his ability to go from friendly and instructive one moment, to cold and forbidding the next.

Secura though, was undaunted "Yes, Master." She replied respectfully, "Master Yoda seeks your immediate presence."

Even the initiate Jedi could see the dark master roll his eyes, "I'm in the middle of a class; he'll have to wait." He turned back to his students.

"But—"

"Meditation is one of the purest forms of communication with The Fo—"

"I'm sorry, master." Interrupted Secura, "But Master Yoda told me it was vital—he's called an emergency Council meeting..."

Master Windu, breathed deeply; "It seems duty calls, class. But not to worry, we will not neglect you're education." He added as several members of the class leaped up and began unplugging their data pads. A predictable groan ran around the room. "Padawan Secura will be continuing you're lecture until the end of class."

"I, wha—" Blinked the startled Padawan.

"Be good, initiates." Said Master Windu, sweeping from the room.

"Uh, right." Said the senior Padawan, her last chances of escape fleeing as the door slid shut behind the council member. "So I'm Padawan Aayla Secura, nice to meet you all."

"Hello Padawan Secura." Chorused the younglings.

"So what where you learning about?" She asked

"We were just about to start lightsaber practice." Said one of the initiates innocently.

Aayla shut her eyes and cursed Master Windu his whole way up to the council room. This was going to be a _long_ half hour...

=::+::+::+::=

Master Windu stiffly joined his place in the Council circle, inwardly fuming, he _hated_—okay, maybe that was being a bit strong—_strongly disliked_ being interrupted in the middle of a class, and he distinctly hoped that whatever this was about was worth it. "We are all here." He stated, needlessly perhaps, but it sent a clear message to Yoda to start the meeting without further pleasantries. Yoda recognized the jab, but made no rebuke other than a small frown.

"Remember, I'm sure you all do, about the item Master Windu and myself brought up a few weeks ago." The ancient green being began.

"The Sith tomb on Sor'udeina." Affirmed Eeth Koth, "I thought that the . survey had determined that it was an old tomb, from before the battle of Ruusan."

"Maybe, maybe not." Said Yoda slowly, "But a minute ago, I was informed by the Exploration Corp. that mysterious things were happening down in the tomb, and surrounding mine."

Mace felt his stomach drop, he shared a look with a few of the other council members, there were numerous tales of Dark Force Nexus left in Sith tombs affecting people around them - sometimes unknowingly - and _none_ of them ended well. "What exactly is happening?" He asked apprehensively.

Yoda sighed, "People have been disappearing into the mine." He said, "Workers and Exploration Corp. members both. Sure of what happens, no one is, only that seen again they are not."

"Then it seems likely that there _is_ a Dark Force Nexus there." Said Plo Koon lowly.

"Then a Jedi with experience with the Dark Side we must send." Declared Yaddle.

"And quickly." Agreed Adi Gallia.

"I agree, Master Windu should go." Said Oppo Rancisis.

"Thanks." Commented Mace dryly, picking up the unintentional slant.

"Someone else I had in mind." Said Yaddle softly.

"And who might that be?" Asked Yoda.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"_WHAT?_" Never before had Master Windu seen so many of the masters looking so openly agog at a statement, not even Qui-Gon's extraordinary pronouncement of the return of the Sith. Oppo Rancisis looked like he had just swallowed a particularly sour luwmjee, Yarael Poof and Adi Gallia's mouths were simply hanging open, Eeth Koth, Even Piell and Depa Billaba looked ready to leap out of their seats, and even the usually unflappable Ki-Adi-Mundi's eyebrows were raised.

But not everyone found the statement so contradictory, "It would be a good way of proving to _him_ that he is no longer a slave to the dark side." Considered Plo Koon.

"And what if we _have_ got it wrong?" Questioned Adi Gallia, "If we purposely put him near Sith Artefacts; near a _Dark Force Nexus_ for goodness sakes; it is just asking for him to be corrupted!"

"Obi-Wan will _not_ turn back to the dark side." Said Mace, surprising even himself with the vehemence of his conviction.

"I would like to hope not, but there is no way we can be sure. I think you've become somewhat blinded by your time with him, Mace."

"On the contrary, there is no one better qualified to judge Kenobi's character at the present time." Responded Mace, easily swatting aside the aspersion. "I have already given my reasons before—I don't think that Obi-Wan has any greater chance of falling to the dark side than another Jedi—possibly less."

"_Enough!_" Yoda cried forcefully. "If any doubts about young Obi-Wan's character we had, knighted him we should have not. Agree with Master Yaddle I do, Obi-Wan is a good candidate. A vote we will now take." His tone booked no argument, the twelve council members sunk into the Force, letting the mystical field wrap around them and connect their minds in harmony.

It was one of the most unique Jedi Melds in existence, the one used by the Jedi Council, while in the meld, it was difficult to divine where individual thoughts or feelings had come from, but all of them affected the overall outlook of the meld, and as the twelve masters gained an insighted appreciation into the others' opinions that could never be expressed in words, the outlook of the meld would steer them towards an group decision.

At present, Master Yoda sighed deeply, bringing them all out of the meld with a clear decision, though by glancing around at some of the other members' faces, it was obvious that some still didn't really agree. "Then decided it is, Kenobi we shall send." The master of the order said.

=::+::+::+::=

"You. Are. Joking." Said Obi-Wan flatly.

He and Master Windu sat in one of the small meditation rooms near the room of a thousand fountains. The chambers were designed to be slightly more private than the Fountain Room itself, while still allowing Jedi to tap into the strong currents of the living Force. They were also used frequently for meeting places, or like in this case, for private low-key briefing rooms.

"I am not." Replied Mace, "The Council is fully confident in our decision."

"_The council_ has fully lost it." Muttered Obi-Wan disparagingly.

"I resent that remark."

"That's the idea—I'm pretty sure that this is _your_ fault."

"Actually, Yaddle suggested it." Master Windu admitted, "However, I fully support it. Anyway, it shouldn't be too hard, just confirm that it's a dark Force Nexus, get the miners out of the mine and come home."

"Missions are _never_ that easy." Countered Obi-Wan. "And I refuse to believe that this one will be."

"No probably not," Master Windu agreed, "However, it is important that this issue is dealt with quickly, and as you are familiar with the Dark Side, we believe that you will be able to resist the Nexus more easily than most other Jedi."

"That doesn't make any sense at all! It's more likely that I'll have a relapse!"

"You have felt the power of the Dark Side before have you not?" Master Windu asked with a slight edge.

"Yes, obviously—"

"And you didn't like it?"

"Well, no, not once I'd—"

"And you were able to pull yourself back to the Light Side?"

"But only after—"

"And so if you've experienced it before, you didn't like it and you renounced it, why do you think that you'd be tempted again?"

"I... I... That's not..." Obi-Wan spluttered.

"Obi-Wan," Said the council member earnestly, "You've proven that you can defeat the Dark Side before. You've tested yourself, you know what to expect, that's more than most of the other Jedi we could have chosen could boast about."

Obi-Wan bristled, "It's not something _I_ boast about..."

"Okay, bad choice of words, my point remains." Master Windu replied, "This mission gives you an excellent opportunity to prove to _yourself_ that you no longer have a problem."

"If I don't fall in the mean time."

"Kenobi, I _know_ you won't fall." Barked Windu firmly, "And if you do, I'll buy you a drink." Forcing away the unbidden image of Master Windu and a Sithly version of himself, calmly sharing a drink and chatting about the weather while they duelled the death, Obi-Wan sulked, "I thought Jedi didn't make bets."

"Sure we do, we just only bet on sure things." Said Master Windu.

"All right, all right, I'm going! I'm packing! When does my transport leave?" snapped Obi-Wan, rather frustrated at the outcome of the argument.

"When you prep it and fly it out." Replied the Master smugly

"Great this just gets better and better." Grumped Obi-Wan, rising to his feet and stalking to the door. "Fine, gimme two hours and I'll be out of here."

"Don't forget to pack your lightsaber, will you?" Added Windu as he walked through the door. Obi-Wan shot him a look that could have melted tempered durasteel. His mood wasn't further improved when he found Siri knocking on his door as he arrived back at his quarters. Steeling himself for the inevitable argument that was sure to follow, Obi-Wan stepped up behind her.

"You might be a while waiting for someone to open that." He said.

"Ahh, there you are, Obi-Wan." Said Siri, showing little to no sign of surprise at his sudden appearance. "I was wondering if you'd like to come and have dinner with Ferus and me tonight?"

"Ferus and I." Obi-Wan corrected before he could stop himself. He palmed his door open and waved Siri in, "Unfortunately, that's problematic because I— Master! What the blithering blue blazes are you doing here?" His former master calmly sat at the table sipping a cup of tea and looking quite at home.

"Ah, Obi-Wan I've been waiting for you to return." Said Qui-Gon, putting down his cup, "Hullo, Siri."

"Yes well, you might have waited outside like Siri did."

"Or better yet, let me in." Added Siri with a wink. Obi-Wan resisted the urge to start hitting his head on the wall.

"I didn't know when you'd be back." Defended Qui-Gon easily.

"You have a comm.." Pointed out Obi-Wan, "You could have called me."

"I could have."

"You. Are incorrigible." Gritted out Obi-Wan, some diplomat he was, he couldn't even talk down a house invader. "Alright, what did you want?"

"You, my former Padawan," (Obi-Wan suddenly had a very bad feeling) "still owe Anakin and I a dinner at Dex's."

Well, that wasn't _so_ bad. Unfortunately; "Like I was just saying to Siri, that's problematic."

"Though you never actually got around to telling me why." Reminded Siri. Plopping easily into the chair opposite Qui-Gon.

"Because I've been assigned a mission." Said Obi-Wan evenly, "I'm leaving in two hours."

"Really?" Asked Siri with interest. "Your first mission as a full Jedi Knight!"

"Yeah," Said Obi-Wan cynically, "My first chance to show the council just how wrong they are."

"Don't be silly, you'll be fine! Where are you going?"

"Sor'udeina."

Qui-Gon frowned. "Sor'udeina? Why would they need Jedi assistance?"

"They... don't really..." Said Obi-Wan slowly, he didn't really want to tell them what the mission entailed — as worried as he had been about the choice of mission from the council, he knew his friends would be more so, and may even try to stop him from going, and despite his own reservations, he was glad to have a mission to take his mind off things; they were the only thing that had kept him sane over the last few months. Instead he settled for giving them the basic mission outline with certain key facts excused. "This mining company's dug into an old tomb that they believe is significant, and they want the Jedi to come and examine it." He said. It was technically true.

That explanation seemed to satisfy Siri, but Qui-Gon looked at him oddly. Knowing that difficult questions where sure to follow that look, Obi-Wan hurriedly expanded, "And a few people might have gotten lost down there. Look I'll tell you the rest when I get back, but I really do have to leave as soon as possible."

"Alright, be careful." Said Qui-Gon, still sounding unconvinced.

"And have a little fun." Added Siri cheerily, "Give yourself an extra day after you've finished to take in the place; you've been doing nothing but rushing from here to there since... since you know when."

"I'll see how I'm going while I'm there." mumbled Obi-Wan.

"Try it, Obi-Wan, it'll help." Said Siri more quietly, "It helped me."

Obi-Wan blinked, he sometimes forgot that while he had paid a terrible price for his amnesia, Siri had experienced her own personal hell during the same time period. And still she had the odd broody day when it seemed to hover around the surface of her thoughts, "Thanks for the advice, Siri. Really."

"Well, we'll leave you to it then, Obi-Wan." Said Qui-Gon, springing to his feet, "But," He warned, wagging his finger at him, "you still owe Anakin and I that dinner — and it sounds like you might owe Siri one now as well."

"You guys aren't out of here in 20 seconds and you can buy _me_ dinner." Grumbled Obi-Wan good naturedly. Qui-Gon laughed, "Very well, my old Padawan, may the Force be with you." He said as he saw himself out, "And don't worry, you'll do fine."

Siri smiled at him briefly before also striding out, "Remember Obi-Wan," She said as she paused at the door, "This isn't to prove yourself to the _council_, this is your chance to prove yourself to _yourself_." She smiled at him one last time before the door slid shut, leaving him alone in his apartment.

Though a Jedi typically travelled light on a mission, there was still an amazing amount of things to do before he was able to call himself ready. There was his apartment to tidy up; he knew from experience that there was _nothing_ worse than returning home to find that all of the tea cups needed washing and the sleepcouch covers changing. There was a spare change of clothes to roll up and stuff into his survival pack, there was his equipment like rebreathers and hookshots that needed to be checked for damage and fatigue. And there were things to add to his personal Holocron about his — in his opinion rather limited — discoveries in the Force.

All Jedi carried a personal Holocron that they regularly updated with information such as Force techniques or methods that they had discovered or developed. They also contained what was effectively their Will; final messages to friends and so on. They were nearly always left behind at the temple except on a few extended sorties, so that they could either be passed onto their Padawan or added to the Jedi Archives. For Obi-Wan, updating it was always a solemn task, and a blunt reminder that every time he went out, there was a small but finite chance that he wouldn't come back.

With the last of his tasks completed, Obi-Wan sat down at his table and inspected his lightsaber, rolling between the palms of his hands. Did he dare take it? That was the question that dominated his mind.

True, Bant had raised a valid point, if he got into a situation where he had do defend someone or someones who didn't have a defence of their own, he could not rely on simply dodging out of the way — and his powers weren't great enough to block blaster shots through the Force without the Dark Side; Which was something that he wasn't prepared to use.

On the other hand, every time he activated his lightsaber, the face of one of the people he'd killed would flash across his mind, along with it the knowledge of what he could do with the weapon should the Dark Side touch him again. Not that he couldn't do almost as much damage without the lightsaber, but one could simply stop carrying a lightsaber, you could not just turn off the Force.

"No." He said to himself, deliberately placing the weapon in the middle of the table, he would not take it with him; after all, he was only going to find out whether or not the mine had drilled into a Force Nexus, and to lead the lost people out of the mine. There would be no reason to use a lightsaber. "Next time." He said to himself.

Any further move towards leaving was prevented by a knock at his door. Anakin, he established, brushing the Padawan's mind through the Force, "It's unlocked." He called, as he clipped the last set of food capsules to his belt.

"Obi-Wan, Master said that you're leaving." Said Anakin as he entered the room. "So I just came to wish you luck."

"Jedi don't need luck, Anakin." Smiled Obi-Wan, remembering the simpler time when he had believed that statement.

"Everyone needs luck sometimes." Said Anakin as Obi-Wan knew he would. Diverting his mind before it began to drift back to a time some 15 years ago, a time that he would really rather not go, he changed the subject. "Well I shouldn't need too much of it," he said, "I'll only be gone a week at the most I should think."

"Master didn't seem to think so." Frowned Anakin suspiciously.

"Yeah, well..." Obi-Wan said uncomfortably, "I wasn't entirely truthful with him, but trust me, there are things about this mission that are best left till I get back." He didn't add the 'if'.

"And what are those things?" Asked Anakin innocently.

Obi-Wan stuck out his tongue, "Not telling." he said, "You'll have to wait like Qui-Gon."

Anakin pouted, "Gee what's the point of both being Jinn Padawans if we can't even share a few secrets."

"Even if I didn't think it was a bad idea I couldn't — the Council have deemed it secret for the moment. There, that's something that even Qui-Gon doesn't know." He added with a wink.

"Okay, Obi-Wan. But you better have a _lot_ of good stories when you come back."

"Count on it." With a last look around the apartment, he walked toward the door, "Can you do me a favour and water the fern while I'm away." Said Obi-Wan, indicating a single pot by the window, "The Hydration system isn't working, and I'd hate for the poor thing to die."

"I'll fix it for you." Said Anakin brightly, already scurrying over to inspect the connection to the wall socket, "It can't be that bad."

"Just don't forget to do your chores." Said Obi-Wan, "I don't want to get in trouble with Mas— Qui-Gon." Anakin just grinned.

"See 'ya later, Anakin." He waved as he stepped out of his apartment, he knew that having found out about the faulty watering system that Anakin would be unlikely to leave until he'd fixed it. But he hadn't got more than a hundred metres before he heard running and his name being called. He turned to see the apprentice sprinting after him. "You forgot this." Said the Padawan, holding up his lightsaber.

"I'm not taking it." Said Obi-Wan firmly.

"What, again?"

"No, not until I can be sure that I'm not going to cause damage to others with it."

"In other words, never." Muttered Anakin.

Obi-Wan didn't answer, in truth, he thought that might just be the case, but he wasn't going to say that.

"Nobody else thinks that it would be a problem, how come _you_ do?" Anakin asked.

"Other people _do _think it's a problem, I'm not oblivious to the rumours." He said, a few of the painful things he'd heard over the last few months passing through his mind.

"The only one that was spreading rumours was Darra." Said Anakin, "She and you are the only ones that can't let go."

"I thought that Darra was your friend." Said Obi-Wan, surprised that the Padawan would say something against her.

"She is," Said Anakin, "But that doesn't mean I missed it, she became _obsessed_ over you after... you know... we were all concerned about her, heck even Mr. 'Perfectly Controlled and Emotionless' was beginning to get worried. She pushed everyone else away, any potential masters, anyone that could help her, with her obsession."

"Why are you telling me?" Asked Obi-Wan, wondering if what he said was true, or whether Anakin was just exaggerating.

"Because you seem to keep hearing her and assuming that it was the whole Temple." Anakin mumbled, subdued.

"I did assume it was the whole Temple." Obi-Wan admitted, wondering it was true, if it really was only the two of them that weren't letting go. Somehow it was rather difficult to believe, "Look I've really got to go." He said at last, "I promise I'll think about the lightsaber for next time."

"Wha— oh yeah." Said Anakin, his thoughts clearly somewhere else. "By the way, you should try to take one of the new Mancet P-92 transports." he said, changing the subject completely. "They're supposed to be _really_ fast, and so simple that even a battle droid could fly one through hyperspace."

"Well I better test it out on the next best thing." Smiled Obi-Wan, indicating himself, "See you later Anakin."

=::+::+::+::=

The Mancet P-92 was the newest craft in the Jedi's fleet, it was only a very light craft, designed to carry two people with a berth for one of them to sleep at a time. Obi-Wan checked the small transport out and was doing the Daily Inspection when a certain little green creature's voice spoke; "Happy about this mission you are not, young Obi-Wan, Hmm?"

_How does he do that?_ Obi-Wan started — he had not sensed the master approach. "No," He said after a shot bow, "I'm worried about if it is a dark Force Nexus. What if I can't resist it? I've already fallen once!"

"Hmm, fall or fall not, up to _you_ that choice is." Said Yoda levely, "Always a choice is the Dark Side."

"It wasn't for me." Frowned Obi-Wan, "Yoda, I never chose to be on the Dark Side."

"Hmm no, the Dark Side you did not choose." Said Yoda with his eye twinkling, "Chose the Light Side you did, as soon as aware of the choice you were."

Obi-Wan, didn't have a response for that. It was true, he had made that choice as soon as he had thought of it, and he had _never_ been comfortable using the Dark Side...

"Hmm, but information I have for you before you leave." Said the Grand Master, "Some things about this mission that you should know there are."

"What? What more is there?"

"Hmm, heard you have that the Exploration Corp. is involved?" Yoda asked, Obi-Wan nodded. "Then realise did you that Intitiate Thel-Tanis was posted on Sor'udeina?"

Obi-Wan started, he hadn't realised at all. And he wasn't sure that he was ready for meeting her again... "No... I hadn't realised, Master." he said slowly.

"Hopefully, a problem she should not be, but aware I thought you should be before you arrived."

"Thank you, Master."

Yoda reached out a hand with a data pad, "More information there is for you, but read it yourself I think you should."

Obi-Wan nodded, taking the datapad and putting it in one of his utility pouches, "I'll have a look at it en route." he said. He hesitated slightly, "Master, if I turn again, could _you_ please come and kill me personally. I don't want to put Qui-Gon through having to hunt down a former Apprentice again..."

"Fall you will not," Said Yoda firmly, "But promise you, I do."

"Thank you, Master, may the Force be with you."

"And with you." the little green Master returned, turning and hobbling away, muttering about how far away the door was, and why did humans have to be so big... Obi-Wan smiled and turned back to his ship, continuing his checks. He sighed as he signed off on the daily inspection, It seemed that his mission had gotten more complicated yet again...

=::+::+::+::=

_"I'm getting concerned, Masters."_ Said the head of the Exploration Corp. regional manager, Marice said, _"I haven't _actually _lost anyone yet, but several people have reported hearing strange voices and noises down there. And the rate of people disappearing from Breachring has increased, ten are missing now."_

"Don't worry," Said Master Windu on behalf of the council, "We have sent a Jedi Knight to inspect the problem — he should be there by tomorrow afternoon."

_"Copy that, we are proceeding __to try and continue excavation with caution, but we haven't been able to get down to the bottom floor where the actual entrance to the tomb is. And we are beginning to have problems in areas that we'd previously considered safe. It's like a gas leak; it's just permeating everywhere..."_

"Okay, try to stay clear of it then, Obi-Wan has experience in dealing with the Dark Side, he'll be able to look."

"Remember that more susceptible to the Dark Side your members will be. Not fully trained as they are, great care you must take..." Warned Yoda forebodingly.

* * *

***I know that it says that Aubrie is 13 on Wookipedia, but I have several issues with that, she along with Anakin seem to be the leaders of the Padawan Pack, she doesn't behave like a 13 year old, and she looks older to me... however, if anyone can point me to information that indicates for certain that she's 13 in the Battle of Jabiim, I'll stand corrected...**


	8. C h a p t e r E i g h t

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**MobiObi - It will test him, that's for sure. But there are still some things that need to be dealt with before we get there...  
**

**Master of the Obvious 7**** - No Obi-Wan in this chapter I'm afraid,  
**

**SuperSonic183 - Thanks; ****Glad you like****.  
**

**Darth Keyara - You may see something just like that! ;D  
**

**Geri K - He really should, shouldn't he. He might regret it this time...**

**Right, this is just a shot one (Although it's been produced in a reasonable time frame which is cause for celebration on it's own), I was planning to make this chapter Approach and Landing and feature Obiwan arriving and the bit of todo about that, but then it just kept getting shorter on me, so I was just going to have this bit then Obiwan landing... and then in the end I decided that this was just the logical place to brake the chapter... so this one weighs in rather short at mealy 1,600 words long... Still, better than a kick in the teeth right?  
**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - E I G H T

**Life in the Exploration Corps**

_-"It's just not fair, why am I here trying to reach some ancient ruins when I could be stopping a Dark Jedi from causing more damage at the temple?"__**— Darra Thel-Tanis**_

The planet of Sor'udeina was a fairly typical populated world, it was more than two thirds covered in oceans, and the remainder in mixed jungle and savannas. The southern continent, on which the Excorp. was currently based was the planet's Capitol Territory, and only 300 Kilometres away from Parliament House was the broad valley in which the Breachring mine had started digging. It was quite a pretty valley, conceded Darra, looking out over the rolling grasslands. Pretty as long as you were _above_ ground, the mine underneath was as dull as ditch water.

When she had first arrived, Darra had flown in to a site about 4000 Kilometres to the north, there they had been examining a potential mining area, trying to map the underground deposits of Baradium. It had been hard work, but at least they had been allowed to use the Force, and get to use some interesting machinery.

Their current location however, was anything but fun. The site that they were investigating now was situated at the bottom of a kilometre deep Tibanna mine, and apart from anything else, she and the other junior members of the Excorp. team hadn't been allowed to go any further down than the mine Management Station on level ten—instead being relegated to transporting equipment and supplies down from the surface. Neither had they been told exactly what was going on, only that they were investigating a tomb that had been found by Breachring.

"Come on Dar." Said one of her age-mates from behind her, "We gotta get these Baradiam charges down to level 10 or Marice will have our heads."

Darra sighed, "Sure." She mumbled, turning away from the grassy valley scene and turning back to look over the durasteel landing platform and turbolift station. A supply ship hand landed just before, and left a large amount of mining charges for blasting in the mine. Seeing as Breachring had transferred all of their staff to the task of investigating the tomb along with the Exploration Corp., the junior Excorp. members had been promised to help shift their supplies as well.

Darra groaned as she got back to the task of loading up the explosives, she could have been sparring with Ferus or Anakin back at the Jedi Temple, working at honing her skills to the point that she could be doing good in the galaxy. What good was moving crates of explosives all day?

Her frown intensified. She _would_ have been a Jedi Padawan by now, if it wasn't for Obi-Sithing-Wan Kenobi. He had destroyed her Master, and her credibility in the eyes of the other Jedi. It all seemed so obvious now, all the time as she had been trying to warn people about him, he must have been discrediting _her_ in the eyes of the Jedi Council and the other Jedi. That's why no one else had taken her on as a Padawan, Kenobi had poisoned them against her so much that they had thrown her out the moment she was thirteen.

She wondered what the Jedi Temple was like now, with her gone, the last dissenting voice would be gone as well, or sure there were others, Jedi that had been close to the other victims, but they were all content to believe the council's story that he'd been reformed. To be a Jedi is to forgive. They said, all the while unaware that Kenobi was somehow hoodwinking the council. "I hate him." She whispered under her breath.

_He should be punished._

Darra froze, the words had sprung into her mind as clear as a bell, but the thought had not been her own. She reached out with the Force, searching for the signature of the one who had sent the message. Her connection with the Force had been temperamental since she had left the Temple, but it answered strongly to her now, she felt the other presences on the platform, but didn't find the distinctive feel, and so reached further, down past the surveyors on the ground below them, past the strong presence of Marice and further down into the very bowls of the mine where individual presences became hard to distinguish, to at last she came to…

Nothing. As quickly as she touched it, the presence slipped away into nothingness again.

"Darra?" Darra shook herself as she realised that she had been motionless for several seconds, halfway through marking off a box designation. "Sorry, Ging." she said, marking off the relevant box and giving an apologetic smile, "Just thought I sensed something."

"Yeah, you Jedi lot all do that at first, until you realise that you're not still Jedi and are never going to be." Said the slightly older teenager.

Darra winced, if anyone else had said that she would have thought they were having a go at her, but Ging was a Kalmarq, a species that were truthful to the point of being blunt, and called things as they saw them. And so though it prickled painfully, she let the comment slide.

It didn't take long, but to Darra it seemed like decades before they had finally finished loading the gravsleds, and silently pushed the trolleys into the old fashion cable lift. Darra pressed the bottom button that would take them to level ten, examining the Breachring logo above the panel as she did so. She had been intrigued with the logo since she had first seen it. The device was a dark blue ring with a triangle intersecting it. Marice had told her that it was supposed to be a drill boring into a planet, but a thin strip of background colour around the triangle gave it the appearance of a wedge that had been driven into an existing hole — and for some reason, it unsettled Darra greatly...

Before long, the lift reached the tenth level, some forty metres below the surface.

The first nine levels were actually part of an old mine. Long ago, iron ore had been found relatively near the surface, and the mine had run for many years as they dug up every milligram that they could find. Now, the old tunnels were used mostly for maintenance and storage; as well as a long continuous tunnel to bring some of the larger drills and other machines down.

The Management Centre by comparison, was a fairly new structure — built only two years ago when Breachring had first started mining the Tibanna gas locked away deep in the ground. It had been designed to house up to 200 workers, and serve as a protection facility in case of an earthquake or flood. It was also the switchboard for the extensive lighting system in the mine, and the communications centre.

Currently the place was over-crowded; the extra staff made up by the Explore Corps had exceeded the amount the station was built for, and so there was equipment just sitting in the hallway, and sleeping bags in some of the recreational rooms where a lot of the Excorp members (including Darra) were being forced to sleep.

These particular containers of explosives were needed by a group who were going to try and blast a hole into the old tomb later today — Breachring having decided in discussion with the Excorp that they needed an opening large enough to fit a vehicle through — and so the explosives were going to moved into the new turbo lift that ran down deep into the mine and immediately be moved on; keeping the amount of time they were on the populated level ten to a minimum.

Even so, that was more than enough time for Darra, and she was more than happy when they pushed the trolleys into the lift. The eight of them silently wheeled their four trolleys into the centre and then turned back and exited again. Darra reached out to press the inside button that would take the turbo lift down to the depths of the mine, only to abruptly pull away as she perchance, just happened to notice one of the others of their group who had stayed behind to nudge one of the stacked boxes back into place.

"Careful!" She snapped angrily at the boy, barely older than her, "If I hadn't noticed you, you'd be on a trip down to the centre of the planet by now!"

"Sorry." Squeaked the boy as he shot out of the lift, seemingly terrified of the prospect of making the half hour turbo lift trip alone. Darra shook her head in distain and slapped the button, slipping out of the doors as she did so. A second later the doors slid closed, and with a light rumble, the turbo lift descended down into the depths of the planet. With the explosives out of their hands, and their task finished, the Exploration Corp children did not tarry; Darra even less than the others. Barely had the doors closed behind her than she was striding off down the hall, wanting to get back into her solitude where she could brood once again about not being chosen as an apprentice.

_As you should have been. _Said a voice — the same nondescript one as earlier — making her shudder, though whether in anticipation or revulsion she could not tell. _You should have been; and it's all Obi-Wan Kenobi's fault that you weren't._ Darra didn't try to find the source of the voice this time; instead she just accepted what it said; what she already _knew_ to be the truth.

* * *

**Next time... C H A P T E R - N I N E, Approach and Landing**

***Bargh I did have this for publication last week, but The sites been playing up...**

**Thanks to MobiObi for the temporary patch that's letting me post this.  
**


	9. C h a p t e r N i n e

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Darth Keyara - You may just sense correct, but don't tell anyone or else I'll sue you!**

** Master of the Obvious 7 - This one's a little longer. And we will be getting quite a bit from Darra's point of view in the next couple of chapters, mostly because from OB1's POV it's dreadfully boring, but still, she's a character that has to make her own journey as well. It's no fun _*CENSORED*_ if we don't know what she's thinking.**

** The Reaper55 - And here it is!  
**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - N I N E

**Approach And Landing  
**

_-"This place gives me the creeps — The Dark side is strong here, even here on the upper levels..."**— Obi-Wan Kenobi**_

**⁂**

The News had very quickly gotten around the Excorps. that a Jedi was coming to Sor'udeina, one of the younger members had overheard one of the managers talking about it, and before long it was almost universally known; it had only taken one meal time.

The news had had quite different reactions among the workers, the younger members had become very excited at the chance to meet a real Jedi Knight. After all, even though the Exploration Corps. were run by the Jedi Temple, five to ten percent of its members were either students that hadn't been selected as Padawans, or had decided that the life as an active Jedi wasn't for them, it wasn't everyday that a full Jedi Knight came to visit them. Even those who had originally come from the temple were excited, hoping to hear about old friends or family.

To the older members who had been around a bit, it was proof to what they had already suspected — management hadn't been completely straight with them, and there was more to this mine than _just_ an old tomb, for the Jedi Council to send a Knight to deal with what was strictly an Exploration Corp. investigation, it must be quite serious indeed.

To Darra Thel-Tanis, it was the final, _final_ chance to perhaps get a master, maybe if she could help this Knight or Master (the scuttlebutt only seemed to indicate one Jedi, not a team), then they would consider taking her as their Padawan.* Which was why she was currently hurrying along to the temporary office for the local Exploration Corp administrator.

She knocked hesitantly on the door, Marice had been very kind to her when she had first arrived, and had told her to contact her if she had any problems fitting in. Still, this wasn't quite a problem fitting in; it was more a favour, and she really hadn't done anything so far to warrant the administrator giving her a favour. Not that she'd done anything wrong apart from being unsociable, but she hadn't done anything special either.

"Come in." Called the voice from within the office.

The office that Darra stepped into was far from glamorous. It had been set up in a hurry out of sheer necessity and it showed, a foldable table with two moulded plastisteel chairs and several flimsi-board boxes stacked around it were all that adorned the room that was small enough to be a large closet. Then again, space was at a premium even in Breachring's lucrative buisness; the General Manager's office wasn't much better.

Marice Prayt was a small woman, probably only a hundred and fifty centimetres tall, with a single plat of blond hair, right now she also looked incredibly tired. "Oh, hey." She said wearily, "What can I do for you, Darra? Take a seat."

Darra took the proffered seat, as the administrator slid a couple of data pads that she'd been working on out of the way. "Ah, I wanted to ask a favour..." Started Darra tentatively, gripping edge of her seat.

"I'll see what I can do." Sighed the woman, rubbing her head, "I know that it isn't easy for you coming here after leaving the Temple."

_Damn right it's not! I shouldn't even be here! Especially with Kenobi still waltzing dangerously around! _She wanted to shout, but she restrained herself, it wasn't the administrators fault, and it certainly wouldn't help her get what she wanted. "I've heard the rumours that there's a Jedi coming." She started slowly.

"Ha." Laughed Marice without humour, "Well that's turned out the be the galaxy's worst kept secret, _everyone_ seems to know."

"I couldn't help—" Started Darra angrily, but Marice held up her hand, "No, no, I didn't say you could. As you were saying...?"

Swallowing, Darra continued, "I was wondering if I could be assigned to showing them around."

Marice looked sadly at her, "No, sorry dear, I don't think that would be wise." She said, shaking her head.

"But why not?"

"Because it will only remind you of what you can no longer have, dear." Answered Marice, "You need to put your past behind you, and get used to living here."

"But that's just it!" Exploded Darra, "I don't _want_ to be here! I hate this stuff! I was born to be a Jedi! Not to make maps and examine ancient relics!

And just because some loser killed my Master, why'd I have to end up here! Please Marice, give me a chance! I just want to ask one more time! Just one more try, then I promise I'll never ask again! I'll go on being a surveyor for the rest of my life!" pleaded Darra with tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. "Please, just let me have one more chance to get a master!"

The older woman sighed heavily, "I know how you feel, Darra, I was once an initiate just like you were. And just like you, I was devastated about having to leave, but you'll get used to it, and one day you'll wake up and realise that this is what the Force wanted for you, and you'll realise that you _do_ like this job.

The fact of the matter is that even if I didn't think it was a great idea, I couldn't let you anyway; do you know why the Jedi is here, Darra? Why _we're_ even here?"

"No." Asked Darra, hanging her head as her last hope drained away.

"There is a great evil in this mine, Darra, you must have felt it yourself. It was no ordinary tomb that Breachring drilled into... that's why the Jedi is here, to do what we can't, enter the mine without succumbing to the Dark Side, so that's why I couldn't send you with him even if I wanted to."

Darra shivered, so that's where the missing miners from Breachring had gone; they had been taken by the dark evil. That was why, even now, the Exploration Corps. had yet to enter the tomb itself. The whole buisness suddenly made sense.

Marice sighed — again, she seemed to do a lot of that recently — as she examined the pitiful sight of the broken girl in front of her. Knowing that she was going to regret it later, she let her heart have a small concession over her head. "Look, I have to meet him at the platform, that's only proper. But, you keep yourself free, and I'll comm. you so that you can show him his quarters and where the utilities are... That's all I can do."

Darra looked up with her rust-brown eyes shining with gratitude, "Thank you." She whispered, "Really, _really_ thank you."

"Don't thank me yet." Warned Marice, pulling her datapads back toward her, "I still say that it's a mistake, you'll just be putting yourself through unnecessary hardship."

But to Darra, that didn't matter, she had been given a chance, a final chance, to become a Padawan, and she _would_ succeed.

*Does she have another thing coming or what?

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan quite liked Sor'udeina from orbit, the bluey orb hung in the windscreen, pale cyan clouds drifting across its face, looking as beautiful as only a life-baring planet could. But as soon as he started to pilot down through the upper atmosphere, a feeling of foreboding started to creep through him. Getting stronger as the little Mancet descended into the cloud that was currently blanketing the region.

Doing his best to shake off the sensation, Obi-Wan opened a channel to the planet's Capitol Territory flight control centre, "Flight Control, this is Jedi P— Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. Charlie Juliet Tango niner niner five."

_"We have you on radar, Charlie Juliet Tango niner niner five. Please state your final destination."_ Was the radioed answer.

"Breachring Tibanna Mine, number 13."

_"Copy that, auto pilot coordinates are being transferred to you now. Good day."_

"Not likely." Muttered Obi-Wan to himself as his bad feeling got worse. With a light beep, his computer asked him if he would like to lock onto the received landing beacon. He selected yes and sat back as the auto pilot took over, steering the ship through the thick cloud. He thoughtfully reached out with the Force, trying to find the source of his unease, but all that he could tell was that it was centred somewhere below him on his current heading. _I wonder why._ He thought sardonically. _That might just be what I'm here for._

He had had a good long time to think on his flight. He was still extremely nervous about visiting a Dark Force Nexus, but he was determined to reward the faith that the council had — rather foolishly he still thought — shown him. He would complete his mission to the best of his ability, and if he failed... well at least he had made Mace promise... because he would _not_ go back to being like Ibonek, he was adamant about that.

His little ship broke through the clouds base at last, and he looked down at the wide valley below him. It was nearly all grass land except for a small brown scar adjoining a grey landing platform, a quick check of his computer told him that that was exactly where he was heading.

"Breachring control, this is Charlie Juliet Tango, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, about twenty klicks out."

_"Copy that,"_ replied the calm voice of a protocol droid, _"You are expected, a welcoming party will meet you there."_

"Copy that. Welcome party will meet me there." He again leaned forward to get a better view of what he was approaching, the scar of earth was the large entrance to the mine and the road into it, several large pieces of equipment sat around on the brown earth, no doubt, removed from the mine for the time being while it was under investigation. The landing platform itself was quite a big one, a couple of hundred metres across (no doubt large enough for a Tibanna Tanker to fit comfortably on it), and elevated atop four large pylons that held it about thirty metres above the shrubbery below it. But surprising to Obi-Wan was the amount of small private vehicles that dotted the edge of the platform and even down on the grass below. There were far too many, and were far too fancy to belong to the miners. Especially since, according to Obi-Wan's information, the miners were given room and board on site... which left one rather horrible conclusion. "Press." Grumbled Obi-Wan distastefully; in his opinion, reporters were the only things worse than politicians; and that was saying something.

"_Charlie Juliet Tango niner niner five, we show you on short final, please confirm._" Called the Radio.

"That's affirm." Muttered Obi-Wan, bracing himself against his seat. He didn't like leaving his ship under the control of a computer at all. "I'm two clicks out. There seems to be a lot of beings on the landing pad..." He added.

_"Yes, the unusually activity around the mine has attracted a media presence."_

_Damn._ "Okay, thanks a lot."

_"Thankyou, good day."_ Signed of the droid as Obi-Wan's ship passed over the scarred dirt and rocks around the entrance to the mine. The landing platform was just ahead of him, now, and he could see that there were three of four dozen people standing around, all of them looking at his approaching transport.

He took a deep breath as his ship passed over the apron of the landing pad, decelerating quickly with a loud roar. The ship made a low whir as the landing gear was lowered, and the ship came to a hover, 20 to 50 centimetres above the ground, before powering down the repulsors, dropping the ship onto the ground with only a slight jerk.

The press had obviously been waiting for him ("Wonderful") to land, because they all came rushing up now, to surround the craft as he ran through the brief shutdown checklist. Across the hanger platform, the door to a turbo lift opened and four people wearing overalls and hardhats stepped out, a small woman with blond hair, a tall twi'lek male with shocking white skin, a shorter man with brown hair and a round face, and a Phindarian.

The welcoming committee it seemed.

_Well, let's get this over with._ he muttered to himself. Popping his seatbelt and hitting the hatch release.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Far away, on another world, a man lay on his bed, as a servant girl lowered grapes into his mouth. "Ahh, thankyou Amelda." he said as he let the juices run down the back of his throat, "Another one!" he demanded. Watching the curves of the girl as she reached behind her to retrieve a grape from the bed side bowl, stretched across to the centre of the bed where he lay and then lowered it into his awaiting mouth. _Ahh yes, she would do nicely…_

"Why don't you climb onto the bed with me, dear." He suggested innocently, "it would be easier for you." Watching with delight as a flash of fear passed over the pale blue haired girl's face. But still, though phrased as such, it wasn't a request, and she knew it. Tentatively, and staying a fair distance away from him, she sat on the bed and swung he feet onto the mattress.

At that moment, the ring of an antique old-fashion comm. unit interrupted proceedings. "Yes." He demanded, forcing himself not to shout, he still had a girl to get undressed after all.

_"Mr O, I think you should put on the Holonet, Sor'udeina channel." _Said one of his trusted aides; unfortunately, that meant that it was probably important. _Of all the confounded nuisances!_

"Thank you for the grapes, dear." He purred to Amelda, "I have some buisness to attend to for the moment, but perhaps you could come back later…" he suggested as the girl hurriedly nodded and fled the room.

Thinking up numerous ways to repay his aide Gerth if this wasn't as important as suggested, he flicked on the holonet receiver and opened a link to the Sor'uneida stream, his interest was instantly peeked by the hologram that sprang to life before him, an aerial view of one of his own mines. Thinking back, he remembered a brief memo about something on Sor'udeina, and it being referred to the Exploration Corps., he had dismissed it as none of his concern at the time, the head of a galaxy wide operation could hardly be expected to keep track of the goings on at every single little mine could he... but perhaps now...

_"...That the site of the old mine was above a large well of Tibanna, and the mine was reopened." _The presenter was saying, _"Official reports indicate that they have spent the last two years drilling down to the well and reinforcing the structures of the old mine, and that as of a month ago they were just 700 metres from piercing the well._

_"Since the first people started going missing however, the management has been very quiet, only releasing the number of missing people and nothing about the circumstances. New evidence suggests however, that the Explore Corps' presence in the mine was related to exploring a tomb that had been found before disappearances and that indeed, the missing people are related to the tomb somehow._

_"This morning, that evidence seemed to be strengthened, when the Explore Corps released a Press Statement saying that they had contacted their parent group, the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and that the Jedi were sending a Knight out to investigate."_

The view shifted to an elderly human male, who according to the hologram label was 'Frasz Berüsch: Expert in Archaeology, University of Sor'udeina.'

_"Professor Frasz Ber__üsch has spent his life peering into the forgotten tombs from all over the galaxy,"_ The presenter continued, _"And his thoughts on the subject are almost too frightening to contemplate:"_

_"It is possible—even probable, given the recent involvement of a Jedi—that the tomb could be the burial ground of one the long extinct Sith Lords who were wiped out during the final stages of the New Sith Wars, more than a thousand years ago."_ The professor said, _"Jedi are almost always asked to oversee the excavation of such tombs; apart from their own interests, to protect the lives of the archaeologists from the infamous Sith traps that are usually found inside the tombs. It is quite possible that this is one such tomb, and that the missing people have, in reality been already killed..."_

The view shifted to what was obviously a landing platform, and the large Breachring logo painted in the centre left little doubt as to where it belonged, _"We now cross live to Elli Kaal on the landing platform at the mine as we receive word that the Jedi Knight has just landed." _Said the presenter.

The landing platform was crowded with dozens of media representatives and other personnel. Five additional humanoids stood slightly away from the crowd, in front of a turbo lift with the Breachring logo on it. These, evidently important people were facing a small transport which sat in the centre of the platform, its engines running down. _"This landing platform is usually only supposed to see one ship a week,"_ The reporter started, _"With the dual purpose of changing shifts and resupplying. But this platform has recently been a hive of activity due to the increasing rumours that _more_ people have been disappearing from their shifts down in the mine; in the past week alone, there have been twenty shipments of personnel and equipment in the Exploration Corps. Ongoing investigation in the mine. But now it seems that whatever the problem is, more help has been called in."_

As if on cue, the hatch on the transport opened, and an auburn haired young man wearing traditional Jedi Robes descended to the platform. He looked briefly over the massed media, before striding seemingly confidently across to the five administrators from the mine.

O sat bolt upright, _'no way.' _He thought in disbelief as the Jedi bowed to the dignitaries.

The reporter went on, introducing the Breachring's Planetary Administrator, TeHar, the Explore Corps. local manager and a couple of union representatives, both from Breachring and Ex Corp.. In the mean time, the Jedi was speaking to the administrators as TeHar seemed to indicate the crowd. The Jedi nodded to something, and a second later, Marice Payne stepped forward. _"If I could have your attention please, we are able to answer a few questions in just a moment; however, first I'd like to make a couple of announcements._

_"The first, is to introduce Jedi Knight Kenobi, who will be taking control of our ongoing investigations into the disappearance of the miners, and also whether or not it is safe enough for Breachring to continue operations here."_ The Jedi nodded his head slightly as he was introduced, but made no other effort to be more noticeable.

_"The other thing,"_ Payne continued, _"Is to announce that in the last twenty four hours, three more people have disappeared while on patrol in one of the lower levels. Although not on the same level as the other disappearances, we are treating them as related. We will now answer your questions."_

O sat back on his bed and lowered the volume as the crowd began to ask the usual uneducated questions that half the reporter population liked to ask (_"Master Kenobi, what are your thoughts about the likely cause of the disappearances?"_). With half an eye still fixed on the holoprojector, he reached over and picked up his communicator, "Prepare my jet, I wish to depart within the hour."

_"Yes, Sir. Destination?"_

"Sor'udeina."

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

"I apologise for springing that Press Conference on you, Master Kenobi." Said the mine's administrator, TeHar, as the door of the turbo lift shut behind them. "But the press has been clamouring at our back door for two weeks now, and we've not yet had a bone to throw to them... If you'll pardon the expression of course."

"Don't mention it." Said Obi-Wan, "Though a little warning would be nice next time. Oh, and it's Obi-Wan please..."

"Yes, of course. Sorry." The Twi-lek mumbled.

The turbo lift started down with a woosh, and Obi-Wan found his eye drawn to the Breachring logo, something about it unnerved him, like he recognised it from somewhere, but from where he had no idea.

"If you'd both like to come to my office, we can discuss what we know so far." Marice suggested breaking his thoughts, he looked up to see her casting a brief eye over the two Union Reps who were in a discussion of their own.

"That would probably be best." Agreed Obi-Wan, "I'm afraid that no one outside has a really great idea of what's going on in this mine, including myself."

"That's because we don't know much more." Said Marice as the lift halted. The doors sprang open, and the two unionists, and the administrators and Jedi went in opposite directions. A short walk took them to a small unassuming office, inside which, Marice had shifted aside a desktop data terminal to make way for a large flimsy map.

"Excuse the backward technology, Obi-Wan." Said TeHar, "We've always liked to use hard flimsy-copies though, in case we come across something that interrupts with electricity."

"Perfectly fine." Said Obi-Wan, trying to keep himself perfectly calm, despite the bad feeling that had plagued him since orbit getting steadily worse. "So what's the situation?"

"Well, we were drilling into what earlier scans had picked up as a Tibana reserve," Said TeHar, "But with about 300 metres to go, we ran into a crossways tunnel, it wasn't on any of the charts so we investigated it and came across several indications that it was sentient being made." He showed Obi-Wan a small image reader that displayed a couple of images of subterranean tunnels, before coming to a single clean slab of rock that blocked the way, completely smooth except for a large symbol of a Holocron in the centre.

"When we saw the marking on it, we called the Excorps straight away."

"This picture was taken just a few hours before we gave the orders to blast it open." Said Marice, "At first we thought that it might have been a pre-Ruusan Jedi Tomb, but as soon as we opened it, we learned our mistake.

"I wasn't here personally, but a couple of former Jedi that were there, said that there was a sudden wave of Dark Side energy, that seemed to grow in strength with every passing minute — they of course evacuated the tunnel, but they reported that during the evac, that one of the Breachring contractors who had been in charge of the blasting started having hallucinations and delirium. When they reached the evacuation point though, they realised that he wasn't there.

"A few searches were carried out, but we had to stop when more people started to not come back. All the while the Dark Side feeling continued to grow for those that were down there until even the non force sensitive people began to feel it tangibly."

"How many people exactly have gone missing?" Asked Obi-Wan, his heart sinking into his boots. This mission was starting to sound worse all the time. If this Dark Side presence could corrupt and consume people so quickly, as it seemed like it must, then he was starting to have extreme doubts about the chances of his survival — or at least of his soul's survival.

"18." Said Marice grimly.

"Just the last couple of days, we've had to pull people further back towards the surface." Added TeHar, "We were starting to have cases of paranoia and even a two man patrol that disappeared in an area that we had previously considered safe! It seems as if the sphere of influence is ever spreading outwards."

"This whole buisness must be costing you a fortune." Observed Obi-Wan, casting a subtle probe.

"Oh don't you worry, Breachring is big enough to hold off for quite at while, and the well that we'll eventually tap into will be more than adequate compensation." Said the Administrator dismissively. "But, we are very concerned in the mean time about the safety of our staff still working here, not to mention those who have already disappeared."

"I think you have good reason to be concerned." Agreed Obi-Wan, satisfied with the man's answer.

"This is the lower floor." Said Marice, handing pointing to a hand drawn diagram on the chart, it's not much, just the main corridor from the elevator to the drilling point a safety cage and a store room. This floor and the one above it, we've had to evacuate because of the problem, so everyone has pulled back to this level." She showed a professionally drawn, much larger level with several sub stations, excavations and limited recreation areas.

"But there's still only a core staff there, most people are up here, hence why everything is a touch crowded."

"Good, keep them at least that far away," Said Obi-Wan, "No one has any reason to go deeper than that until this issue has been solved."

"No arguments with that here."

"So, then the only other issue is what to do about it." Muttered Obi-Wan.

"¿Well, what are our options?" Asked TeHar, "From our point of view, we can't dig through anywhere else, there is a natural spike in the well that we're trying to drill into; if we don't get that, it's another kilometre's worth of digging."

"Well, the options depend on exactly what the problem is." Mused Obi-Wan, casting his mind back to the lessons he'd learnt as a youngling. "If it is just a single, or at least, very few objects that are imbued with the Dark Side energy, then we just remove and/or destroy the objects..."

"That sounds easy enough." Said the Administrator, "¿And would that then release the workers from the curse—?"

"You didn't let me finish." Cut in Obi-Wan, "I was going to say that I've not heard of this much influence been caused by a single object at such a distance, usually you have to hold the object to be effected by it... It seems to me — and the council believes this also — that it's far more likely to be Dark Force Nexus; an area that is permeated with Dark Side energy, soaking into the rock and spreading for some distance around."

"¿And what can we do then?" Persisted TeHar.

"Not much." Grunted Marice.

"It certainly makes it more difficult." Amended Obi-Wan. "Force Nexuses are usually static, something about the twisting of spacetime that makes the force more easily reached or something; the philosophers at the temple could tell you more, anyway the point is that without intervention, they will be there for a long time, probably permanently."

"That sounds like not much to me." muttered Marice.

"Maybe..." Said Obi-Wan, "But I remember a story about how the Force Nexus beneath the Jedi Temple had once been a dark one.

"I'll have to contact the Jedi Archives, they'll be able to send me the file." He finished, "In the mean time, we have to work out how we're going to work out how to get the missing people out of the mine."

"If they're still alive." Said Marice, "Remember that the first ones have been missing for weeks — even with the Dark Side driving them, they couldn't have lived that long without food and water."

"I fear you're probably right." Agreed Obi-Wan.

"Unfortunately, all of this goes straight over my head." Said TeHar, "And I've got some arrangements to finalise with regards to supplies, let me know when you worked out your plan of action." He bowed shortly to them both and then swept out of the room.

"I'd like to get a robot of some sort down there..." Obi-Wan thought out loud, "Something with cameras so that we can get an idea of the conditions down on that floor, I would rather know as much as possible before I have to go down there."

"I'll see what I can do — I don't blame you for not wanting to go rushing down there, I'm sure you've noticed the chill that seems to hang around, even up here on the higher levels." Said Marice, "Who knows what it could be like down on the bottom level."

"Apart from anything else, I worry about the missing." Said Obi-Wan, "If they've been driven mad by the Dark Side, as we think they have been, then despite what I wanted to say in front of TeHar, they may have survived by turning against each other."

Marice shivered, "I don't even want to _think_ about that..." She glanced up and grinned, "Still, it's good to see you, Obi-Wan, even despite the circumstances, the last time I talked to you, ¿you were what... seven?"

"I would have been eight, I would think." Replied Obi-Wan, "Just after my BTA exam."

"Yes that's right, I remember going to watch you all get your first beads, and here you are now, a Jedi Knight."

"Not without a fair share of problems." Countered Obi-Wan, "And you haven't done too badly to end up here." He gestured around the room.

"Once I stopped seeing myself as a Jedi Reject, I was fine." Marice agreed, "Actually, one of our latest recruits from the temple is a bit the same, she reminds me very much of myself when I was younger actually."

Obi-Wan had an unpleasant suspicion that had not so much to do with the Force as a pessimistic gut feeling. "I'm sure she'll do fine then."

"She will, in fact I was going to get her to show you to your quarters..." She reached over and grabbed her communicator, "Darra, we're ready up here thankyou." Obi-Wan grimaced, of _course_ it had to be her, why would he have thought differently?

"I don't think that's such a great idea." He warned as soon as she hung up.

"Oh, why not in particular?" Asked Marice, "I know that having her spend to long around you isn't good for her acceptance of things, but I was quite clear to her that it would only be to show you to your room..."

"That's not my concern, it's with this particular student." Said Obi-Wan uncomfortably, "I well... Long story short, I was responsible for the death of her prospective Master."

"What! How did that happen?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Muttered Obi-Wan, "But suffice to say, she holds me responsible for the fact that she was unable to get another master and was sent here... She's right of course, but I don't think that she'd react well to seeing me here—"

The door slid open as Obi-Wan whipped around, Darra didn't seem to notice him at first, seemingly almost deliberately not looking at the visiting Jedi, "I'm here, Ms Payne... YOU!" She exploded as she finally looked towards him, "What the kriff are you doing here!"

Trying to make the best out of a bad situation, Obi-Wan tried to deflect the inevitable. "Hello Darra, nice to see you again. Are you well?"

"Well? I'm stuck in a mine, thanks to _you_, and you have the nerve to ask if I'm alright?"

"Okay, Darra. That will do." Said Marice, "Master Kenobi is our guest, he will be investigating the disappearance of those people."

"What? Do you know what this man did!"

"Yes, he told me, but I trust the council if not Obi-Wan, and if they approved him for this mission, I have no objections."

"Gee, thanks for that positive appraisal." Grumbled Obi-Wan.

"But Marice..."

"No!" Said Marice, "You wanted to help, against my better judgement, I have let you, now you will have to deal with the results. Now show Master Kenobi to his room."

"Yes, of course." Gritted out Darra, obviously swallowing back a nasty retort.

"I'll have a think about our options, and I'll contact the Archives about the things that we discussed, Marice." Said Obi-Wan, learning from his earlier mistake and saying nothing to Darra.

"Okay thanks, and I'll see about getting hold of some droids for you."

Obi-Wan bowed and turned to leave, feeling Darra's glare boring into his back the whole way out the door. As the panel swished shut behind her, she pushed roughly passed Obi-Wan, "I don't know why your here, but I'm going to find out!" Hissed Darra, as she grudgingly led the way towards the sleeping barracks.

"Well in that case I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Said Obi-Wan, "The council sent me to find the cause of the disappearing people and put an end to it. I must admit that I doubt the councils wisdom on sending _me_ on this particular mission, but—"

"Don't play games with me, Kenobi." Growled Darra. "You doubting the council is the _only_ thing that we agree on."

Obi-Wan was silent for several seconds. "We could have gotten along quite well in another life, Darra." He said at last.

Darra snorted, "Depends, on whether or not you're such a sleaze in all your other lives as well."

"We're really not so different in this one." Mused Obi-Wan, as they walked past a couple of people dressed in the Breachring uniform who looked at them with hurriedly disguised interest, "As I explained to you at the temple."

"We're nothing alike." Said Darra with absolute conviction. "This is your room." She said, stopping at a door in the next hall. She waved the door open and then handed him a slip of paper with the code on it. She turned to leave.

"Darra, don't give in to hate." Called Obi-Wan after her, "That leads to the dark side." The door slid shut cutting the two off.

"That's a fine thing to say, coming from you." Muttered Darra as she walked away. Her last plan was shot, the Jedi was her arch rival, there was no way that she could become a Jedi now...

_But there is. _Said the voice again. _If you can prove that Kenobi is still on the Dark Side, then the council would have to take you back; they'd have to make you into a Padawan..._

It was right, Darra knew that, it always was. "Yes." She said in agreement, "Yes."

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan sighed as he slumped down on his sleepcouch. He really wished he knew what to say to her, everything he tried seemed to be taken the wrong way, and it had ever since he'd visited her after he'd first gotten out of hospital.

Pushing the youngling out of his mind, he opened his travel pack to get out his datapad and comlink, the sooner he got his information from the Archives, the better. His comlink was easy enough to find, since that was in the utility pouch that he would attach to his belt if he didn't want to carry around his travel bag, along with things like his rebreather and holoprojector. The data pad was more difficult to find though, feeling the cool metal of something while groping around at the bottom of his bag, Obi-Wan frowned. It was his lightsaber!

"What the—?" Muttered Obi-Wan, staring at the hilt in bewilderment. How in the galaxy had that gotten there? It didn't take long for his memory to provide him with an answer. Anakin had slipped him it while he was talking to him about the Mancet. "I should have known he accepted it far too easily." Grumbled Obi-Wan. All the same, a warm feeling spread through him; Anakin, bless him, really had thought that it was the right thing to do. It was nice to have another reminder that his friends cared about him. Grumbling good naturedly about friends and good intentions, he placed the lightsaber back in the bag. He frowned, it felt wrong somehow putting it back away, but what could he do? He couldn't go back on the vow he'd made.

He picked it back up and looked at it. It was the same one he'd taken to Naboo, three years ago. Qui-Gon had retrieved it along with his cloak and had brought it back to Coruscant where he'd put it in a small display case in his room, a lasting reminder to the Padawan he thought dead. He'd been very excited when he gave it back, saying that it had been his dream to be able to hand it back to its rightful owner, a dream that he'd — quite obviously never expected to be able to achieve.

With a sigh, Obi-Wan opened his lightsaber's maintenance compartment and slid out the focusing crystal. As a concession to his friends, and in keeping with what he was expected to have as a Jedi, he would wear the hilt, but he wasn't going to use it, and taking out the sparkling blue crystal would ensure that.

* * *

**And next time, we find out who the mysterious Mr O is, we get more of an idea what _exactly_ is going on down the bottom of the mine, and Darra does her own little bit of meddling...**


	10. C h a p t e r T e n

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

** I'm not going to make any excuses for this chapter, it's really not worthy of being posted it's so bad, but I figure that after 8 months of struggling with no success, I may as well post it, get your opinions and come back and fix it later. I also feel bad that it's caused this long a break, but on the positive side, I do have the next chapter finished and will post it next week.**

**By the way, I have found out since I began this story that Obiwan actually _does_ have a listed Home Planet, which makes Sor'udeina rather superfluous, therefore, I ask everyone to mentally replace Sor'udeina with Stewjon until I get around to replacing it in the text.**

**Darth Keyara - You will now see, wha ha ha ha haaaaa!**

**Geri K - True. I like to think of her as the complete opposite end of the cycle to Obi-Wan at this point in time.**

**dudette - No he shouldn't, but at least it's a compromise.**

**kyjori - Thank you.**

**Estora - I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but thankyou... And why is there no more Chancellorcide? XD**

* * *

C H A P T E R - T E N

**Breach Ring**

—'_Director, I'm sorry that we did __not get message of your impending arrival sooner, welcome to __Sor'udeina__Mine __13__'_**_— __TeHar_**

**⁂**

Several days later, the situation had not really changed a great deal. Obi-Wan sat in the mess hall, with several flimsi charts scattered around him, trying to work out, as best he could, exactly where the source of the Nexus could be. The droids that they had deployed from the command floor had been next to useless, they had provided them with a few seconds of usable footage, but invariably, after a short amount of time they had violently and abruptly cut off. Obi-Wan was unsure whether they had short circuited, or whether they were being destroyed by something living down there, but is was beginning to make one thing clear.

It was looking more and more likely that the only solution would be to go down there himself, and he was doing his best to work out exactly what he would be up against.

He sighed irritably and put down his pen a little harder than he'd meant to, this was getting nowhere! The fact of the matter was that he was too frightened of descending to the lower level; afraid of what he might find. Afraid of what he might find about himself!

His internal brow beating was brought to an end by his comlink chirping at him, 'Kenobi.' He answered.

'_Master Kenobi.' _responded a male voice, _'This is Master Frazen from the Jedi Archives here.'_

'Ah, about my request about the Force Nexus beneath the temple?'

'_Indeed, it seems that this particular Nexus was purified by Elßüt Chan sacrificing himself to save his Padawans during a skirmish with the Sith, five and a half thousand years ago. Five hundred years after that, the land around it was gifted to the Jedi Order.'_

'I see. Do you know how he sacrificed himself?'

'_No, there's only a brief mention of it in the history file of the Temple.'_ Came the response. _'It lists the death and exact coördinates, and there is a diary entry by his Apprentice that says that he will be remembered.' _Frazen added.

'Okay, thanks.' Sighed Obi-Wan, frustrated at yet another dead end. Barely had he set the comlink down than it rang again. 'Kenobi.'

'_Master Kenobi, this is TeHar, something's come up, I need you and Marice in my office. Now.'_

'Sure, be right there.' Frowned Obi-Wan, wondering what could have happened.

Pausing only to roll up the charts he was working on and tie them up with an elastic band, he hurried off towards the Mine Administrator's office.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

'Look out, here he comes!' Whispered Darra as the "Jedi" rose from his table and came walking briskly towards the corridor that she and one of the other younglings were hiding in. Grabbing the boy by the scruff of the neck, Darra dragged him into the fire suppressant control room located two metres further down the corridor.

Darra held her ear to the door as Kenobi walked passed outside, longing to be able spring out and attack him—teach him a lesson for what he'd done to her—, no that wasn't quite right... she wanted to get _evidence_ against him for the council. She shook her head slightly, more and more violence related thoughts had been springing to her mind recently, and she couldn't figure out why. Could it be a message from the Force?

Beside her, her companion, Glie, crossed his arms impatiently. 'Why are you so crazed about stalking him anyway?' He grumbled, 'It's like you've got a crush on him or something—!' He cut off with a hiss of pain as Darra's boot hit him in the shin. 'Oops, sorry.' She said dryly.

'Well, why do you follow him everywhere?'

'I already told you.' Said Darra impatiently as she gently eased the door open again, 'I'm waiting for him to reveal himself as the Dark Jedi he is so that I can report him to the council.'

'What makes you so sure he _is_ a dark Jedi?' Persisted the boy, causing Darra to turn on him viciously.

'Do normal people go around killing Jedi?' she snapped, enjoying seeing him cower back slightly.

'No, of course not.' He squeaked quickly. Giving him one last glare, Darra trotted after Kenobi, keeping a discreet distance between them, leaving Glie to hurry after her.

He finally caught up with her as she waited at a corner, her head poked around it as she tried to stay out of Kenobi's sight. 'He went in there.' She muttered quietly as he padded up.

'That's TeHar's office.' Said Glie, looking at the indicated door.

'Hmm, if only we could see what was happening in there.' Darra mused.

'Well you could always try the old holo-movie way.' He suggested, pointing to a grid above her head. A grid that covered the ventilation cavity. The redhead glanced up at it, then back down at Glie and grinned thinly. 'You know, Glie, I think you may be beginning to earn your keep. Let's go.' She agreed.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

'Ah, Obi-Wan, thanks for coming so quickly.' Said TeHar as Obi-Wan stepped into the room. Out of the corner of his eye he perceived that there were two other people standing next to the door to the right, one that he recognised as Marice from the flash of blonde hair he caught.

'What's happened?' Asked Obi-Wan, focusing his attention on TeHar.

'We've received an offer from HQ, they're prepared to lend up thirty XSC-65 Rescue droids to help us recover the miners.

'Well that's good news.' Said Obi-Wan, a light smile threatening to break out. The XSC mining droids were regarded as the best Rescue Droids in existence, and thirty of them could mean that they could recover the miners without anyone setting foot into the mine. Capable of drilling, excavation and cutting, the droids were shielded against harmful waste that they may find in a rescue situation. With any luck, that shielding would hold against whatever was upsetting the surveillance droids too.

'Mister Granta Omega is the Director of Breachring Mining Company.' Said Marice, stepping forward and indicating the third person in the room. A pale skinned man with dark-blue eyes and black hair. Embroidered on his black vest was a symbol, a symbol that Obi-Wan had associated with evil since before he was a Padawan.

Red planet encircled by a silver starship:

Offworld

'You!' Started Obi-Wan the second he laid eyes on the third person in the room, twenty-eight years of trained reflex meant that his hand was on his lightsaber before he could stop it. 'Breach Ring, Broken Circle, Offworld! I can't believe I didn't realise it sooner!' all at once the logo and name of the mining company, and the apprehension he'd felt at them made sense; take away the triangle representation of the drill, and you were left with a perfect image of a broken circle, the mark of Qui-Gon's failed student Xanatos.

The man who had just been introduced as Granta Omega smiled, 'Master Kenobi, it's a pleasure.'

'I wish I could say the same thing; you're wanted for attempted mass murder and terrorism by the Republic Senate!' Snarled Obi-Wan, 'I should put you into custody right here!'

'Ahh, but I don't think that would be wise.' Said Omega with a smile.

'Why not? I'm dying to hear.'

'A couple of reasons.' Said Omega. 'One, this facility has no holding facilities, so you'd have to take me away from here, which would waste a lot of time that you could be using trying to solve the problem here. Two, according to the treaty with Sor'u'denia, all persons arrested on the planet must face a magistrate before deportation to republic custody which could take weeks, or even years. And three, most pertinent of all, I have brought with me an entire ship full of brand new multipurpose mining/rescue droids which I _was _planning to help you with... However, they'll only work with my access codes.

'After all,' he added with a honey sweet voice, 'Our _first _priority should be those poor missing people who have so _tragically_ disappeared, shouldn't it?

Obi-Wan grunted.

'Please, Obi-Wan.' Implored TeHar, 'We need those droids! It may be the only way that we'll be able to successfully rescue the missing.'

Obi-Wan knew he was trapped, the idea of helping a criminal—especially one related to Xanatos—made him sick in the stomach. But there was no way that he could refuse the aid of Omega, even with his legal status. The mining baron had brought a ship full of some of the most advanced droids in the world, it would be arrogant and foolish to refuse them, and it may also be his only chance of completing the mission without having to face the oppressive power of a dark Force Nexus.

'Alright, fine.' He relented at last, looking at Omega wearily, 'But don't think that the Jedi won't come after you after this event.' he added.

'Of course, I look forward to it.' Said Omega sweetly.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Up inside the wall, Glie crouched uncomfortably behind Darra, trying to ignore how close he was to her in the confined space. Apparently, the almost thirteen year-old girl didn't seem to notice anything awkward about the situation, but being young and of the opposite sex, Glie couldn't help but feel decidedly uncomfortable.

'Well, that's rather odd.' He said aloud, trying to take his mind off it, 'They seem rather at odds with each other.'

'Yeah.' Muttered Darra irritably as she peered through the grill to where the four occupants were discussing the finer points about what they were going to do. 'There must be some explanation for it...'

'It seems obvious to me.' Glie whispered, 'That Omega guy is in trouble with the law somewhere, and Master Kenobi wanted to arrest him but can't.'

'Why would Kenobi want to arrest someone who tried to commit mass-murder? He revels in that sort of thing.' Hissed Darra, 'Haven't I already told you?'

Glie sighed, he really liked Darra, but she was stubborn to the point of being ridiculous about this Kenobi creep, and it was made worse by the fact that he couldn't see anything wrong with the man, sure he'd hardly said anything since he'd arrived—spending the whole time pouring over maps, but that was supposed to be his job.

'The only thing I can think of is that he's trumping up charges against him,' Mused Darra eventually, 'Trying to discredit a major mining leader in the galaxy to destabilize the Republic.'

'Do you _really_ think so?' Asked Glie doubtfully.

'Yes.' Snapped Darra without raising her voice. In her effort to swing around and glare at him, she brought her behind dangerously close to Glie's face. His sweating increased. 'They're leaving.' She added, turning back towards the grill.

'Great. Let's get out of here then.' Said Glie with relief.

'Hmm.' Darra mumbled under her breath, 'I suppose so...'

The two of them awkwardly crawled along the duct, Glie hoping that it would end before he had a breakdown. 'Finally!' He whispered in relief as they came across another grill that opened into a corridor.

'Wait!' Snapped Darra, cutting him off with her hand. She was vindicated as a wookie miner from Breachring passed underneath the opening a second or two later. Seemingly now satisfied that they were alone, Darra unlatched the grill and swung it out into the corridor, sliding out head first and landing into a forward roll. Glie followed her, although far less elegantly, landing in a heap on the floor.

'Now that we're out, can we go and get something to eat?' Asked Glie, taking the opportunity of the larger space to wipe the perspiration off his brow.

'No!' Snapped Darra, as she climbed to her feet and brushed herself off, 'Honestly! Food! Is that all you ever think about? I've got to find out more about this Omega so I can work out exactly what Kenobi's trying to do.'

'But, surely—'

'No "buts", Glie. Come on!' Bullied Darra, striding off purposefully.

Glie just sighed before traipsing after her.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan stood wrapped in his cloak as Omega and his men unloaded the droids. He didn't like this situation on little bit, and from the smirks that the dark haired man kept shooting him, he knew that he didn't.

He frowned as Omega shouted at a couple of his men that were unloading the large humanoid mining droids, telling them off for dropping one as they lowered it off a rack. The XSC-65 Rescue droids where about 2 metres tall, and had thin limbs but large hands and feet which were armed with lasers and claws; a large drill about eighty centimetres in diameter finished off their look, but despite their fearsome appearance, they were actually very efficient rescue droids; being able to shift large rocks with their hands, or dig through the earth with either their feet or head drill, depending on what kind of earth it was. They also had a quite advanced sensor package to detect trapped people or hazards.

But the fact that the Omega was offering these highly advanced, highly _expensive_, droids to look for survivors didn't sit right with Obi-Wan; it was what a conscientious CEO would have done, but Xanatos had never been a conscientious leader, and he had no reason to suppose that his son would be. Not to mention he had played with peoples' lives on Carreg just to make a point.

'You know,' The man swaggered as he passed by Obi-Wan at one point, 'It must be real upsetting to have the son of a dead enemy come along and do something that you're supposed to be doing.

Obi-Wan met his eyes stonily.

'Careful.' The other man smirked, getting right in Obi-Wan's face. 'You wouldn't want to crack a smile or something.'

'What exactly are you going to do, Omega?' Asked Obi-Wan, ignoring the jabbing.

'Oh easy.' Said the man, 'I'm going to go to take these droids down to the bottom level and just let 'em loose down there, if they find anyone, they'll bring them back up.'

'What about a video feed?" Asked Obi-Wan, 'Will they be able to supply that?'

'Perhaps, but that's for my eyes only.' Grinned Omega lopsidedly.

'And then what are you going to do?'

'Oh well, when I've gotten the low down, I may just go and take a stroll around the tomb, see if there's anything of note.'

'Omega, do you have any idea exactly what could be down there? It's not something you can be so blastedly flippant about.' Exclaimed Obi-Wan in outrage.

'I'm touched that you have such thoughts for my safety, Kenobi.'

'There is great power down in that mine—something that shouldn't be trifled with.' Snapped Obi-Wan, breathing through clenched teeth as he tried to get a hold of his anger.

'Of course, why else do you think I'm here?' asked Omega leaning close to his ear, 'You didn't really think I came for the miners did you?' he whispered.

'Sadly, I had no such illusions.' Ground out Obi-Wan. 'I s'pose I should have figured that you'd just be after Dark Force artefacts.'

'That and to see you, my _dear_ friend.' Omega replied with a sneer, 'I always wondered about just who the Obi-Wan Kenobi my father wrote about was.'

'Xanatos wrote of me?' Enquired Obi-Wan, unsure whether to be flattered or repulsed.

'In length—he thought highly of your talent, thought it quite a shame that you'd been spoiled by his old master. I must admit, I was slightly curious about this "potential Dark Side adept", as he labelled you in his earlier entries, and we really didn't get much of a chance to catch up before.'

'No, that's usually the case when you're trying to kill someone.'

'Yes, rather unfortunate, but there are times. But you sell me short,' Said Omega, changing the subject completely, 'What I want is far more than just any dark force artefact.' He left it at that and walked briskly back to his ship to help unload more of the droids, leaving Obi-Wan to stew over what he meant.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

'I don't like this; I've got a bad feeling.' Obi-Wan muttered to Marice as he paced up and down the wall in her office, 'I knew his father, entirely too well; there was never an action without an ulterior, unseen motive, never a plan without a plan inside it, always a back door, and I can't believe that his son would be any different. He expects to get something out of all this, and I just can't see what it is.'

'You could ask the council for help if it really bothers you.' Suggested Marice.

'I could.' Agreed Obi-Wan flatly.

'But what makes you so sure that he has less than honourable intensions, anyway? As that ancient saying goes, "the son should not pay for the sins of the father".' Commented Marice as she flicked her finger across her data pad to turn to the next page.

'And I agree with you, except that Omega is a criminal in his own right. Qui-Gon was convinced that Offworld was corrupt right until it fell off the radar about four– rather seven years ago, he could just never prove it, and just a couple of weeks ago, Omega tried to crash a Trade Federation Starship into the Carreg Palace. He's not innocent.'

'Fine, why don't you speak to the council, then?' Asked Marice, looking up from her datapad.

'It's complicated...' Muttered Obi-Wan, turning away slightly.

'Complicated? I don't understand, the Council is there to assist all Jedi. Why would you not be able to call on them?'

'I...' began Obi-Wan several times, 'I can't talk about it right now.' He finished again, not looking at her.

'Is this to do with the death of Darra's Master?' asked Marice suspiciously.

'In a way.' Mumbled Obi-Wan. Jerking to face the door he called over his shoulder, 'I'm going to go and keep an eye on Omega. The droids should all be down at the Section F9 by now.' Without waiting for a response, he walked out the door, leaving Marice to herself. Or so she at first thought. She had just started working on translating the runes found on the tomb again, when her seldom used Jedi senses picked up a flicker at the edge of her mind. She looked up just in time to see Darra open the air vent into her room and swing down to the floor, followed soon after by Glie.

'Eves dropping, Thel-Tanis, Hahns?' Asked Marice, already knowing the answer—there where little to no other explanations for them to be hiding in an air vent right above her office. 'It doesn't become you.'

'He's lying!' Began Darra without preamble.

Marice sighed, 'About what, Darra?' She asked.

'Omega is innocent! Surely you must see it?'

'Innocent? He tried to ram a palace, a governmental site, with a battleship—that doesn't sound very innocent to me.' Replied Marice

'And who's word do we have for that? Obi-Wan, very convenient isn't it?' Retorted Darra angrily.

Marice sighed again and stood up, pacing around the room. 'What is it that you hold against Obi-Wan so badly, Darra?' She said at last, 'I understand that he was somewhat responsible for the death of your master, but everyone makes mistakes at some point—'

'Mistake?' Roared Darra, 'My master was _murdered_ by that... thing. Why? He's a kriffing Dark Jedi.'

Marice blinked as if struck, 'A dark Jedi?' she repeated.

'Yeah! Don't you wonder why he won't call the Jedi Temple? He can't, they would see his darkness. A Jedi would have gone to rescue those miners ages ago, so why doesn't he? Because he's causing it! He's just stringing you along.'

'Darra, I find your supposition highly doubtful, everything that you have talked about is only your interpretation of events. I knew Obi-Wan as an initiate, he was a few years behind me, but he would have fitted into any of our classes. I'm sure you're—'

'You want hard proof? Here's proof!' Darra ripped a strip of brown cloth from her Padawan braid. 'This was Master Antara's tunic; see how it's burned on one side? This was left sliced off from when he ambushed and decapitated her!'

As if the dam had broken, she continued, 'He attacked the Jedi Temple, he killed five Jedi! And now he's using his power to control the Jedi Council.'

Marice was white with shock, 'And what do you think about this, Hahns?' She asked, trying not to rush to conclusions.

'Well, I haven't seen anything that shows that...' he began slowly, then seeing Darra's face he quickly added, 'But then I haven't seen a lot of him.'

'If he was what you say, Darra, why didn't you seek me out sooner?' She demanded, 'The reality is that Obi-Wan has done everything to help us so far, and I haven't gotten any evidence—'

'Because you adults are hopeless!' Screamed Darra in frustration, 'You can't see beyond the ends' of your noses!' She stormed towards the door, literally dragging Glie by the arm, he shot a pleading look as he was yanked outside and then the door was shut again and the office returned to the dull hum of the datapad's little cooling fan... Marice groaned again as she collapsed back in to her chair. 'What a mess.' She mumbled, combing the fingers of both her hands across her head.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan was halfway along a corridor when he felt it, and it nearly drove him to his knees. A titanic wash of Dark Side energy washed through him as he felt a dark presence touch at his mental shields, the utter malice in the touch was astounding. Obi-Wan regained his wits in a moment, sprinting towards where he thought the touch had come from. He turned left at the end of the hall, past TeHar's office, through the crowded cafeteria, pushing people out of his way as he felt the presence receding down the corridors on the other side. He leapt over some mining equipment in the next hall, and turned into another corridor...

Nothing.

A dead end was all that he met, as the presence faded beyond his reach. A quick glance showed nowhere that it could have gone, there were no other corridors, no air vents. The turn seamed completely closed off.

Feeling thwarted once again, Obi-Wan turned to backtrack towards the lift that would take him down to Section F9. He was certain of two things though; the presence was the same one that he had sensed when he first arrived on world, and the majority of the hate in the touch he had felt had been directed at him.

Still slightly shaken by the encounter, Obi-Wan emerged from the turbolift at Section F9 a few minutes later. He had been down here on the first afternoon with TeHar, but the incredible power of the Dark Side at this lower level had quickly driven him back to higher ground. The level was fairly basic, consisting of a small, roughly hewn foyer, with stacks of crates and equipment laying in it. In front, an entrance into a reasonably large gathering room with a line of lockers on one side, and rows of generic glow sticks, harnesses, and other such related equipment lining the other. There was a corridor that ran off the left wall of the foyer, which led to a bathroom, local control room and galley, the last of which also doubled as the level's safety area.

Currently, nearly the entire area of the gathering room was crammed with rescue droids, who were shifting slightly in an oddly human manner that one would equate with anticipation. Omega stood close to the lockers, just out of the crowd of droids, his two assistants flanking him as he surveyed the mass.

'Ah, Master Kenobi again.' He said as Obi-Wan walked into the larger room, 'Come to see us off have you?'

'I've come to give you a warning, Omega.' Said Obi-Wan tersely, returning the favour from earlier, he stepped close to Omega, 'I know what you're planning to do.'

'Is that a fact?' Responded Omega.

'You don't understand just what you're dealing with.' Warned Obi-Wan.

'You assume far too much, I have taken precautions.'

'Don't do it or you'll regret it.'

Omega chuckled, 'You don't frighten me, Kenobi. It is after all my mine, after I have retrieved the reports from my droids and any survivors, I will have plenty of opportunity without you here.'

'Not if you in prison somewhere.'

'If.'

'Trust me, you don't have the Force, you have no idea what you would unleash.' Tried Obi-Wan.

'The first group can enter the mine!' Called Omega to his droids, then to Obi-Wan, he whispered, 'But soon I will!'

Obi-Wan turned and swept away in disgust as the first group of droids approached the old cable operated "cage" lift, the old rattletrap device that was used for up to four people at a time to descend to the lower levels.

'See you later, Obi-Wan Kenobi.'

Obi-Wan ignored him and stepped into the lift that would take him back to the upper levels; he missed the blaze of red hair that was hiding in the shadows of the crates in the foyer.

'I knew it.' Muttered Darra to Glie who was sitting with his back against the wall, picking disinterestedly at his sleeve stitching. The two of them had snuck down here in Darra's effort to learn more about Omega, but their time had been thoroughly wasted, until Kenobi had turned up, 'If that wasn't stand-over tactics, I don't know what was. Well?' She added after a moment when Glie hadn't responded.

'I wasn't going to argue.' He said defensively.

'Good.' Darra's face took on a strangely distant look. 'Now how do we lure him into our Jedi Trap?'

'Trap?' Hissed Glie in alarm, 'Are you nuts? You can't ambush a Jedi! Do you have a death wish or something?'

Darra shook her head slightly as if ridding her mind of a thought, 'I meant trap figuratively, of course. How are we going to get him to reveal himself?' She smiled reassuringly.

Glie found he was anything but. Darra had been behaving more and more oddly over the last few hours, and there was something distinctly wrong about that smile, as if she was trying to convince herself as well as him. Even as she turned back away, her eyes gleamed ferally. 'C'mon, curfew started ten minutes ago.' Glie muttered, pushing past her and hailing the lift.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan opened the door into the main corridor, and found himself face to face with Marice Pryat, her hands on hips and a glare across her features. 'Marice.' He started, walking past her and gesturing invitingly, 'What is it?'

'I think it's time you told me about Darra's master.' Responded the woman, falling into step with him. She wore an expression that booked no argument.

Obi-Wan glanced at her sideways. 'Who told you?' He asked.

'Darra.'

'Ah.' Obi-Wan stopped and rubbed his forehead with his palm wearily. 'I was captured.' He began, 'I'm not sure exactly who they were, some sort of Dark Jedi at any rate. When I woke up, I had no memories whatsoever, and the captor used it to their advantage, they fed me false information about how the Jedi had tried to kill me, and goaded me into stealing information from the Temple. While I was there I was disturbed, I-I killed anyone who crossed my path. Darra's Master was one of those.' He finished; his face full of pain.

'So you don't remember your time as an initiate at all.' Stated Marice.

'I do, after I escaped the Temple, Master Qui-Gon—he had been my master—along with his apprentice and Siri Tachi—you remember her? Anyway, they tracked me down and captured me, at the end of the fight I was injured badly, but I could suddenly remember who I was...' He trailed off.

'And the Jedi Council accepted you back.' Finished Marice.

'Yes.'

'I'll never be able to look at you the same way again, Obi-Wan.'

'That is probably for the best, I'm not the same.' Responded Obi-Wan, turning away towards the wall.

'So Darra's never forgiven you then?' supposed Marice.

'No.' Groaned Obi-Wan in frustration.

'She was listening in to our conversation you know—in one of the air ducts.'

'What?' Exclaimed Obi-Wan, he frowned and began pacing agitatedly, 'She could well be right about me, of course, but at the moment is hardly the time for all of this. At the Jedi Temple, her going on about it is fair enough, but here when peoples' lives are at stake? I thought better of her.'

'If you want to talk to her, she should be in her room now, it's past their curfew.'

'I think I just might.' Obi-Wan grumbled, stalking off down the corridor.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

The door to Darra's room flew open, and Obi-Wan stepped through it with his cloak swirling behind him. A quick scan with his senses revealed that Darra was not in the room, but another terrified presence was; he yanked a cupboard open to reveal the young boy Glie, tied up with bits of spare clothing.

Behind him, Marice gasped as she took in the sight, 'Hahns, who did this?'

'Where's Darra?' Demanded Obi-Wan, knowing that the answer would more than likely answer both questions. He undid Glie's hands and feet from their confines.

'Sh-she went to warn Mister Omega that Master Kenobi is after him. She's c-convinced that you're trying to lure him into a trap w-where you can kill him, she thinks that he'll reveal you to the council otherwise.'

'Not likely.' Murmured Obi-Wan to himself.

Glie continued, 'I tried to stop her, and she... well she kinda lost it; said that I was with you, that she was the only one who could see it... She was out of control.'

Marice and Obi-Wan exchanged glances, 'Then what happened?' Prodded Marice gently.

Glie shivered, 'Then she seemed to calm down, but she said that she couldn't let me stop her, and she was sorry... and then the next thing I remember is waking up in here.' He gestured at the cupboard.

'Go and get changed.' Marice advised, helping him to his feet, 'Then come to my office, we'll talk more there.'

'Yes, Miss Prayt.' Bowed Glie before running towards the floor's change rooms.

'Has she turned?' Asked Marice as soon as he was out of earshot.

'I don't think so.' Answered Obi-Wan at length, 'I think that her frustration is turning to paranoia, and that this dark side climate is feeding it... having said that, if we don't remove her from this mine quickly...'

He did not need to finish.

'I know the leader of the ex. Corp. on Melida/Daan,' Said Marice, 'She can go there.'

'First we must find her, I'll comm. Omega; see if she's there.'

'Is that a good idea?' Asked Marice.

'Point taken.' Said Obi-Wan, 'Probably be best then if you went, considering the circumstances...'

They made for the door, but had hardly taken two steps before both comlinks went off simultaneously. 'Kenobi.' Answered Obi-Wan, reaching his first.

'Obi-Wan, is Marice with you?' It was TeHar.

'She is.' Confirmed Obi-Wan.

'Good. Look, no easy way of putting this, I'm afraid.' TeHar's voice was under clear strain, and Obi-Wan's hair stood up on the back of his neck in anticipation of what he would say. 'Omega's missing, we haven't had any contact from him for more than an hour. They've just completely disappeared from down there.'

* * *

**More soon...**


	11. C h a p t e r E L E V E N

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Darth Keyara - Yeah, sorry about the delay, that chapter was nasty to complete and I went long stretches of time without being able to contribute anything meaningful.**

**MobiObi - I'm glad you like it, hopefully I don't let down your expectations.**

**... Only two reviews? ... heh, I suppose that's only to be expected given how long it was since the update before last... Anyway, now things come to a head.**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - E L E V E N

**Into the Heart of Darkness**

'_I wonder how Obi-Wan is getting along... I do hope he isn't getting himself into too much trouble...'__— _**Qui-Gon Jinn**

**⁂**

Obi-Wan looked carefully around Section F9, the area was covered in the hundreds of Mining Droid footprints scattered and scuffed in powdery red dust, and the straps that had been holding the droids in place during their flight where piled against one of the walls, but there was no sign of a living thing apart from him.

Kneeling for a closer look at the ground, he examined the area directly around the entrance to the cage—the steel reinforced mining basket that was access for the lowest levels of the mine, the droids seemed to have entered the lift first. Obi-Wan allowed his mind to cast back imagining what might have happened.

There were too many droids to have all gotten down in one trip, it probably would have taken four or five even, but they had done it; no droid tracks led away from the cage.

But then, inexplicably, on top of the droid's prints, boot prints—the kind that were standard issue in mines—led into the cage as well. For some reason, the men that had been with Omega, and Omega himself, had also descended to the lower levels.

Obi-Wan sighed. But there was no way of deducing whose prints where whose, or if Darra's were among them.

His commlink chirped, and he answered it mindlessly, expecting the call. 'Marice?' he asked leadingly.

'No sign of her I'm afraid, Obi-Wan.' replied Marice. 'And noöne else has seen her either.'

Obi-Wan sighed again; he had been expecting that. 'I'll be right up.' He said, flicking the channel closed and replacing the Commlink on his belt. He cast a last look over the tracks around the entrance to the cage, wondering whether the beings had been forced down the shaft, or had descended at their own volition.

Deciding that it mattered little at this point, he turned and walked back to the far more high tech turbolift that would take him back up to administration.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

'So they really are all gone.' Sighed Te Har. 'This is exactly what has happened with all the others.'

'I'm not sure whether they were forced to go, or whether they left off their own bat.' Said Obi-Wan, 'And we have no way of finding out, unless Omega left a datapad with a link to the droids up here?'

'No, he had the only one.' Te Har responded sullenly.

'Why on earth would they leave by themselves though?' Asked Marice, 'Everyone knew the dangers.'

Obi-Wan rubbed his temples, 'Granta Omega hopes to use the Dark Force Nexus to give himself the power of the Force—that is my belief.' He said, 'He is not a Force sensitive like his father was, and my guess is that to get the revenge he undoubtedly craves on his father's behalf, he wants to have the Force; so he can stand toe to toe with the Jedi.

'I reckon that he naïvely thought he could handle it, or the dark side called to him and he couldn't resist, or both.'

'What do we do now then?' Asked Marice.

'I have a difficult decision to make.' Said Obi-Wan, leaving the room without elaborating further. Marice and Te Har shrugged at each other.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan sank onto his cot with a sigh, the truth was that there _wasn't_ any decision to make—he knew what he had to do. They no longer had any options; _he _no longer had any options.

But it was a hard thing to get his mind around, he would have to descend into the heart of darkness, into an area that more than twenty people had gone missing, and he would have to do it without falling victim to—or being seduced by the Dark Side.

It was a task that he would have felt nervous enough about when he was a Padawan with his master, but now, on his own, with his history taken into account, it seemed insurmountable.

And then there was the unknown variable of Darra. Obi-Wan wasn't even entirely sure what she had been doing down there, although Glie had given him a fairly good idea. _"...Warn Mister Omega that Master Kenobi was after him..."._ Obi-Wan didn't understand how she could have come to that conclusion, particularly if they had been listening in as Glie had said, but it was all academic at the moment; she was down there with the other miners, and was likely just as lost as they were.

Once again he was struck by what a waste it was that she had been sent off to the Exploration Corp., he could remember Soara Antara as a young master, but one who's duelling was unquestionably one of the best in the order, perhaps only Cin Drallig, Qui-Gon and a few of the council members like Master Windu and Yoda were better... it was probably just as well for him that he had attacked the temple in the middle of the night, and surprised her, he was certain she would have made mincemeat of him in a fair fight.

But if she had indeed been interested in Darra, then Darra was obviously extremely talented, it was just a shame that she had allowed her anger to get the better of her... it was a horrible thing, anger.

It took several moments before Obi-Wan realised that he had actually repeated one of the oft-repeated statements of his friends back home at the temple. And even more amazing that he had actually said it and believed it. It was... oddly freeïng, he settled on at last.

Dismissing the happy feeling for the moment, he returned to the task at hand—the almost impossible seeming mission of locating and destroying the source of the Dark powers, or at least rescue some of the workers. Obi-Wan reached out and touched the darkness below through the Force, feeling the incredible sense of despair seem to flow through him like a wave from the darkness...

'_The great Jedi, fallen in defeat...'_ the voice once again rolled through Obi-Wan, sending him bolt upright. It had been accompanied by the same feeling he had felt earlier! _'Join me.'_ The voice continued. _'And you'll _never_ have the power to overcome _any_obstacle;__ nothing will ever stand in your way.'_

'Never.' Spat Obi-Wan in disgust feeling the wave of darkness roll away again. To his surprise he felt himself shaking and clammy, as if the Dark Side wave had attacked him on more than just one level. But it had also polarised his mind, he was now resolute.

'Marice,' He said, activating his commlink, 'If I'm not back within five hours, contact the Jedi Council. I'm going after Darra and the others.' Before she could respond, he clicked the object off and clipped it back onto his belt.

Emptying the small bag that he had brought with him of his changes of clothes and a few other large things that he could do without, he tipped the rest of his equipment into the largest of his belt pouches, hoping that it would cover most of the situations that he might encounter at the bottom.

He left his quarters and walked briskly along the corridor to the turbolift, passing some of the faces that had become rather familiar over the last few days. He wondered briefly how many of them knew that he was walking to what could very likely be his doom, but the he slapped himself mentally—he couldn't allow any doubts if he was to be able to get through the next few hours; let alone _complete_ his mission.

He stepped into the turbolift and spoke his request for the bottom floor, at once the turbolift sped into its decent, the inertia compensators the only thing that prevented him from being flattened against the ceiling, as it was he felt no more than a mild twitch in his stomach... and that, he mused, could just as easily be his nerves as any feeling that the lift created.

The charts of the bottom levels were folded up and tucked into one of the inner pockets in his tunic, and he pulled them out now, once again scanning them for any landmarks that might help him navigate, before once again tucking them away.

The turbolift came to an abrupt halt, and the doorways shot open with a blast of air, the thicker settled air of the lower mine, rushing into the lower pressure air of the turbolift. Used to the phenomenon from the skyscrapers on Coruscant, Obi-Wan thought nothing of it and walked across the droid footprint littered sand that made up the floor.

He grabbed a glow-rod off the wall next to the cage before pulling the crude lever system that would call the cage-lift to his level, with a rushing sound and the squeaky protest of steel guides rubbing the guide-rail, the elevator rose into view, and Obi-Wan, feeling rather like he was walking to his own funeral, pressed the button that would take him to the very bottom of the shaft, the tunnel that had been made by the Sith.

As the old fashion lift descended, there was a very definite feeling in his stomach, but this one he didn't think he could attribute entirely to the lift either, as darkness swallowed the space around him.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

It took several seconds for Obi-Wan to realize that he was at the bottom after the lift had stopped, for a terrifying second, he thought that the lift might have stopped halfway down the shaft so complete was the feeling of claustrophobia.

But as soon as he opened himself up to the Force he knew.

The Dark Side rolled through him like a physical wave, and he staggered slightly before he activated the glow-rod in his hand and began to creep carefully forward through the gloom of the Section F13.

He walked on for several minutes, staggered at the power of the Dark Side of the Force; it seemed to exist almost as an actual mist through the tunnel, pressing in at him from all sides, and drowning both the light from both his glow-rod, and the Force.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan heard a quiet rustle, and he turned sharply to the sound. Out of one of the side tunnels came one of the handful of men that had been helping to unpack the droids with Omega before he'd disappeared.

'Argh, you scared the life out of me!' Scolded Obi-Wan, 'What's going on here? We haven't had any contact from you guys for hours…' He trailed off as the miner raised his vibro-drill over his head, looking into the light of the glow-rod with glassy eyes. 'Are you okay —' he cut off in horror as the man suddenly let out a bloodcurdling yell of fear and defiance and swung the drill at him.

Obi-Wan ducked under the blow and stumbled back in surprise. 'It's me!' he shouted as the man once again ran at him, this time holding the rotating drill out in front of him and trying to stab him with it, 'The Jedi!'

But it didn't seem to get through to him, the Force continued to twist in fear around him as the man came at him again. Obi-Wan decided he'd had enough; he raised his glow-stick to provide better light and kicked out at the drill, catching the miners fingers and knocking the pseudoweapon out of his hands. It fell with a clatter on the floor and continued to run, its vibrations causing it to walk down the hallway. 'NO!' shouted the man desperately, falling to his knees as if grovelling, 'You can't have me monster! I-I…' Obi-Wan looked on in confusion as the miner broke down, 'What's the matter? What do you see?' He asked, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, he trying to send calming waves of the Force to the miner as he forced him to look him in the eye.

For a second, the man seemed come out of his daze, he relaxed slightly, and the wildness drained from his eyes, but then with a chocking cry he blindly pushed Obi-Wan away and dived after the drill, but rather than pick it up again as a weapon, as Obi-Wan expected, he drove his head into the rotating and red hot metal of the tip, splattering blood in all directions.

Obi-Wan stumbled away in horror, unable to tear his eyes away as the miner's life faded out of him.

What horrible thing had the man been seeing when he had decided to take his own life in such a gruesome way, rather than be captured? At last the drill rattled free of the man's remains and began to resume its vibrational walk down the tunnel.

Obi-Wan stepped over the miner's body and gingerly turned the drill off with his foot. He felt a cold bead of sweat run down his back as he walked away from the awful scene; something even more powerful than Obi-Wan had first thought was at work here, and whatever it was, he wanted to make doubly sure that he didn't get caught up in it.

He shivered again as he recalled the man's agonised cry as he'd thrown himself on the drill.

Even more wary now, he crept on through the darkness, his senses stretched out as far as he could in every direction—not that it did him much good; the Dark Side here blanketed everything; at the moment he could see better with his eyes than he could with his Force senses. But it was habit, and it made him feel marginally safer and more comfortable.

The Dark Side of course continuously offered him its services, promising him power and riches. Obi-Wan ignored it as much as he could, but it was still there, wearing away at his resolve and weaving through his thoughts—the sickening thing was that it all felt so familiar.

Not for the first time, Obi-Wan wondered why the council hadn't removed his memories of the time he had spent as Ibonek; he knew the reason of course, in case he remembered anything about Sidious or any of his other contacts (and according to the more cynical side of his mind, as a warning to prevent him making the same mistakes again), but he hadn't been able to recall anything in particular about Sidious, other than that he sounded like a humanoid man, but with the robes he had worn, it was impossible to tell more than that, and he had refused to sell out Jango. So instead he was left with the aching weight of the memories of the people he had murdered, and none of the information that could have benefited anyone.

Even, as the thoughts were crossing his mind, he could feel the Dark Side roll around him, embracing him like a seductress at work, whispering of what he could do if he gave it his allegiance, how he would be able to track down Sidious, be able to protect Jango, be able to save the miners, and Darra...

'All lies!' He hissed at himself.

The Dark Side wouldn't 'save' anything, it would make a slave out of him—turn him back into Ibonek, and he'd had enough of him ruining his life. Forcing the thoughts from his mind with all his strength, Obi-Wan shook his head and walked on…

And almost ran straight into another miner.

Obi-Wan, deprived of his Force senses, recovered too slowly from his surprise and was too late to block the miner's terrified kick to his stomach, which folded him over and left him wheezing. The next kick smacked the glow-rod out of his hands, as the torch clunked to the ground, Obi-Wan dived after it, only to smack his head on a protruding bit of rock from the tunnel wall. Obi-Wan fell back, clutching his head with a groan. As he cursed and wondered why these sorts of thing always seemed to happen to him; he heard a crunch that sent the tunnel into darkness. A moment later a second sound made his blood run cold.

The man had a mining laser.

He looked up to see the miner raise the glowing weapon above his head with a cry, ready to bring it down at Obi-Wan's head. Obi-Wan flung out his hand and drew the Force into his palm before smashing into the man's leg. The technique, achieving the same effect as a stun blast caused the miner to spasm as a blast of electricity ran through him before dropping to the ground, knocked cold. 'See?' he told himself, 'I didn't have to kill him—there _were_ some pros to the whole Ibonek thing.' much as he hated to admit it.

Standing up and wiping sweat off his brow, Obi-Wan felt around for his glow rod, finally laying his hand on the cold metal of the handle. But there was no response to his attempts to turn in on. A few seconds of feeling around and a cut thumb later, he discovered why; the miner must have stood on the fragile plastic of the light casing, and had completely crushed it and the filament below—there would be no more light from the device.

He was momentarily at a loss as to what he was going to do before he remembered his lightsaber, he had tipped the contents of his bag into his pouch, including the primary focusing crystal—he could reässemble it and use that for light.

His left hand grabbed his lightsaber, but even before he could open the pouch, his eyes which were quickly becoming accustomed to the darkness caught sight of a glimmer of light somewhere ahead, and struggling to his feet, he resolved to try and reach the source; if only so that he would be able to see what he was doing before he started fiddling around the delicate insides of his lightsaber. As he drew closer, he sensed a thickening of the Dark Side ahead, and taking a few more steps he came to something that utterly awed him.

A huge chamber had been cut out of the living rock of the mine; the cavern was palace like in its monstrosity, columns and long stalactites hung down from the cavernous ceiling, and they seemed to emit the soft, diffuse light that gently bathed the entire chamber.

The ground formed a vast amphitheatre, with the slope on three sides, and a large pool of water at the opposite end, Obi-Wan found himself at the base of the horseshoe shaped bowl, looking down a flight of roughly cut steps than ran from the mouth of the tunnel to the centre of the room. At the focal point of the cavern was a large flat area with four rock pillars around the back edge, and in the centre, rocks had been built up to form a large dais, and in the middle of that, a cloaked figure lay.

Cautiously, Obi-Wan edged down the steps toward the figure, clutching his inöperative lightsaber in his hand. The Dark Side clouded everything, making it impossible to even ascertain whether or not the figure was living.

Expecting at any moment to set off a trap, Obi-Wan climbed onto the dais and walked toward the lump of fabric. He knelt down beside it, and slowly reached out a trembling hand to grip the being's shoulder.

Instantly the man sat bolt upright. His ice blue eyes wide as he stared at Obi-Wan. 'Kenobi!' whispered Omega, a wild look in his eyes, 'Welcome to your destiny!'

Obi-Wan whirled back from Omega as he heard approaching footsteps. Out of the various side-passages and corridors that ran from the chamber, dozens of the miners walked. In each of their hands' was a weapon of some sort, from large rocks, to more drills, to sticks of old fashion dynamite. Behind them, the mining droids traipsed in as well; their mining tools activated and ready to go.

Obi-Wan had a brief half-second to take in the wild—possessed—look of Omega and the miners, before all of them came running at him to Omega's furious calls of 'Get him! Free yourselves from our tormentor!' For a brief second, he wondered whether Omega had been possessed as well, or whether he was merely playing on the miner's fear, but it wasn't really relevant he decided as the miners came flying at him; their improvised—but no less deadly for it—weapons at the ready.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Marice sat in her office, pouring over the maps of the lower mine levels, trying to work out how long it would take Obi-Wan to finish exploring. Unfortunately, the whole area had not been mapped before they had opened the tomb, and so they had little idea as to the full extent of the subterranean tunnel.

Five hours, Obi-Wan had reckoned. Marice frowned, he would easily get to the Sith's tomb within half an hour or so, so that would leave him plenty of time to finish with whatever he had to do.

Almost too much time...

What was he anticipating going wrong?

She looked up as the door opened, revealing the weary form of TeHar, who trotted over and slumped into the seat opposite hers. 'Long day.' He sighed.

'Obi-Wan's gone down into the mine.' Marice replied.

'He has? He didn't seem that enthusiastic about it before.' Said Te Har.

'Jedi face different challenges to nonjedi, TeHar.' Said Marice flatly, 'There is more risk than merely not coming back, he could fall.'

'Fall?'

'Fall to the Dark Side.' Marice clarified, 'A dark Jedi is a terrifying thing, they can do immeasurable damage. And down there with the Dark Side as strong as it seems to be, he had every right to be worried.'

'I see.' Said TeHar thoughtfully. 'Parliament is demanding an update, what should I tell them?' He asked.

'I suppose we should tell them the truth.' Said Marice, 'They know that there's a Jedi here, tell them that he's gone down to see what he can do.'

'Right.' Agreed TeHar, 'May I suggest that you let the Jedi Council know as well.'

'I will if there's no contact for five hours; that's what Obi-Wan requested.'

'They may as well know before that." Said TeHar. 'I see no reason for them not to know.'

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Obi-Wan threw himself backwards, a stick of dynamite that one of the miners had thrown landed near him, a moment later, the blast from a mining laser struck it causing it to detonate in a huge ball of fire.

The miners rushed him with berserker cries, and Obi-Wan gathered the Force and backflipped up onto the top of a large bolder at the edge of the arena like area at the bottom of the chamber, the miners kept coming, rocks and more sticks of dynamite raining around him. The rocks where more an irritation than anything else, but the dynamite sticks were very dangerous, with the slightest charge being able to set them off.

Worse, Obi-Wan didn't know if it was the Dark Side or something else, but all of his movements seemed slower than usual, as he leapt up onto another bolder, in an effort to avoid fighting the miners; it was as if the air was pressing in on him.

At last it seemed like he had no choice, he had been hoping that he would be able to avoid hurting them, the miners were pressing around the base of the bolder, trying to hack or strike at his feet, but what worried Obi-Wan far more was the fact that the mining droids had made it to the bottom of the arena now too.

Even before the first one fired, Obi-Wan was already twisting into a leap away, gathering the Force into a crackling orb of energy between his hands before firing it at the droids as they marched in rank into the area.

The sphere smashed into the ground in front of them and detonated with as much force as any of the dynamite explosions had had. Sending flakes of rock and components of droid flying in all directions, as their number was reduced by two.

But then Obi-Wan's luck turned, as he landed, a rock thrown by one of the miners rolled under his foot, causing him to stumble his landing and crash heavily onto his back. The miners where onto him in a second, a rock hit him in the jaw, followed by a kick in the ribs as he reeled in pain.

Obi-Wan desperately tried to fend off the attacks as more of the miners arrived, the weak but painful shocks of the mining lasers singing at his cloak. He could feel the people's fear as they crowded around what they saw as a monster, he could feel his own fear rising as more and more attacks came at him. He knew he couldn't take much more of this—it was only a matter of time until a lucky blow caught him that killed or stunned him, and failing that, it was only a matter of time before his rising fear and anger got out of his control... and if it did, down here in this place saturated with the Dark Side, he knew that there would be no going back.

Obi-Wan threw one of his hands out, launching a violent Force Push that scattered half a dozen or so on one side of the ring, and though he caught a painful blow to the top of the head for the break in his defence, he followed through on the attack, breaking through the gap in the ring.

There was a deep pool of water on one side of the arena, and with a single leap, Obi-Wan leapt into it, diving deep as he shook his rebreather out of its pouch and stuffed it in his mouth.

After a few seconds of strong swimming, which Obi-Wan thought should have well and truly taken him to the opposite wall of the arena, he pulled himself to the surface. And looked around as he took a gasp of air.

It was completely dark—somehow it seemed he had managed to swim through some sort of tunnel into another chamber. Giving a sobbing sigh of relief, Obi-Wan stroked along the surface, hoping that the edge of the pool wasn't too far away.

And sure enough, he was rewarded a couple of strokes later with his wrist striking painfully against a rock. He pulled himself out of the water and lay dripping on the ground.

A quick check of his person revealed that his lightsaber was still with him, as were most of his other possessions, but the maps that he'd brought with him were waterlogged beyond repair.

'Good work, Kenobi.' He muttered to himself, 'You've managed to destroy your only maps in a cave filled with the Dark Side, you've got no idea where you are and there is a heard of crazies after you. Brilliant day.'

Deciding that if he was going to be lost, he should at least make sure that he could see, Obi-Wan pulled his lightsaber off his belt and opened his utility pouch. After a short moment of rummaging, his hand closed on a small, cool, sharp sided object, and a feeling flooded into him from the Force. The lightsaber's focusing crystal. For the first time since he had arrived here though, it wasn't a warning or a feeling of foreboding, it felt almost... right.

Like had done when he had first built his lightsaber in the caves of Ilum, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and let the Force guide him, he was dimly aware of himself reïnserting the crystal, but the fore of his thoughts was taken up by dark fragments of whispers and shapes.

Laughing, there was laughing all around him. Evil laughing, across his vision flashed the hooded visage of Sidious cackling manically, of several people he didn't recognise laughing, a young man with dark blond curly hair, a pale bald woman, Omega, Xanatos, a ivory droid, all laughing. And most shocking of all, the image of his own face, lit by a disturbing red light laughing, as if he had just been told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. But with none of the innocence a joke would have caused, a spin-shivering cackle was emanating from his mouth, as his head tipped back to laugh at the ceiling and—

Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open as the chamber he was in suddenly blazed with light. Glow-rods hanging from the wall, with thick power conduits running from one to the other glowed brightly, stinging Obi-Wan's eyes as his unaccustomed eyes were dazzled by their brightness.

Despite the unnerving development, he didn't feel in any immediate danger, and squinting, he looked over his reässembled lightsaber, before examining his surroundings more carefully. The pool that he had dragged himself out of was only a small one, about five metres wide and ten long, it took up almost half the chamber, which seemed to be a room cut from the wall of a tunnel that ran along one side. The tunnel ran both ways from the chamber, but Obi-Wan could feel that the one that ran away from the left side led to his goal, the Dark Side seemed to flow out of it like a river.

Returning his lightsaber to his belt and brushing his wet hair out of his eyes, Obi-Wan carefully stepped into the tunnel, noting that it was gently sloping down as it twisted this way and that. He could feel the Dark Side getting stronger, the air practically crackled with the Force Energy—he knew he must nearly be at the heart of it.

He was rather surprised when after a sharp descent he stepped into a flattened out and slightly wider section of the tunnel, and a single figure stood in the middle of the tunnel, looking as if they were waiting for him. That didn't surprise him, it was the strength of the Dark Side emanating from the person. At once he knew it was the voice and the associated dark feeling that he had gotten so used to since he had arrived.

But that was impossible. Because as he observed the thick ochre coveralls with their distinctive logo on the breast, and the similar coloured eyes, he was faced with...

'Darra.'

'I've been waiting for you, _Obi-Wan_.' Said the girl drolly, her yellow Sith eyes glowing in the darkness, 'I knew you'd get down here eventually.'

Obi-Wan said nothing, favouring her with a neutral expression.

Darra waited, when it was clear that no reply was forthcoming, she slowly began to advance. 'I must say I expected you three hours ago, but it seems you have a little more caution than I gave you credit for.'

'Yes, well, I try.' Responded Obi-Wan, narrowing his eyes, 'Something that you evidently don't have a problem with. Who are you? I would like to know who I'm facing before I defeat them.'

Darra's lips twitched, 'I'm impressed, I didn't expect you to figure it out so quickly. You seem to be an intelligent man, Kenobi, I'll pay you that.'

'Not really.' Responded Obi-Wan dryly, 'But Darra Thel-Tanis wasn't here when the events started.'

The girls eyes twitched slightly, 'And neither she was.' She conceded, 'Slight oversight, but irrelevant ultimately. Well I am Darth Marw, since you asked.'

'Charmed.' Said Obi-Wan, unïmpressed. 'What do you want?'

Darra/Marw grinned slightly as she drew a sword. Instantly the Dark Side intensified, and Obi-Wan realised at once that in fact it was the sword that was the source of the Dark Side in the mine. That one artefact could carry so much energy was astonishing—the hairs on the back of his neck raised; this was an extremely powerful entity that he was dealing with.

'I don't suppose you have any idea what it's like to be dead for a couple of centuries.' The Sith commented rhetorically, 'Well let me tell you; it's no picnic. So when a band of blithering idiots that call themselves Jedi Archaeologists opened my tomb here, I knew it was the time for me to escape. I knew that if I spread enough fear, eventually someone suitable would be foolish enough to come to me, the miners were a perfect Jedi Trap. And now that I have an actual body to inhabit instead of an inänimate sword, all that stands between me and my goal... is you.'

'What have you done with Darra?'

'Oh, worried are you? I doubt she would have expressed the same for you, you know; she seems to rather hate you.'

Obi-Wan said nothing.

'Hate. So delicious in a young mind, made her an absurdly easy target, almost too easy.' Sighed Darra/Marw smugly. 'It was simple to manipulate her into coming down here alone, all I had to promise her was that she'd be able to get the evidence and power enough to reveal _you_. Such an amusing child. Such a weak resolve.'

'What have you done with her?' Asked Obi-Wan harshly, unsatisfied with the answer.

'Oh, she's still in here.' Said Darra/Marw, tapping her temple with a nasty grin, 'But only until I've completely taken over her body. Then, I will _obliterate_ her!

'Now then, I have to say that a teenage girl's body is woefully weak in the physical department, but I think that my mastery of the Force will more than make up for it, don't you? I can feel your fear... Are you ready to die, Obi-Wan Kenobi?' With a lazy flick of her wrist, Darra/Marw activated the Sith Sword, causing red energies to crackle up and down the blade.

Obi-Wan knew he had no choice; he reluctantly lowered his hand to his belt...

And his lightsaber sprang to life for the first time since his defeat at the hands of the Sith Lord on Naboo... and relief flowed through him as the bloodlust he feared didn't seize him.

If anything he felt... calmed; at peace with himself for the first time in as long as he could remember.

Opening the eyes that he hadn't realised he'd closed. Obi-Wan Kenobi steeled himself for his first dual since he had returned to the Jedi.

And then Marw sprang at him with a snarl of fury, eyes smouldering with rage.


	12. C h a p t e r T W E L V E

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

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**Thankyou to Valairy Scott and The Reaper55 for your reviews.**

**I'm interested for all of those who read this to let me know what your impressions of what is going on is in this chapter, because I have tried to weave a few little sub plots into it, and I want to know how well I've pulled them off. So if you could spend a little extra time everyone and write down all your thoughts, I'd really appreciate it.**

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-Probation-

C H A P T E R - T W E L V E

**Hidden Depths**

_-'Obi-Wan!'__**—Qui-Gon Jinn**_

******⁂**

Darra's blade whizzed past Obi-Wan's ear and he leant back away from it before countering with an overhead strike which Darra blocked soundly, but not without perceptible give as Obi-Wan's far stronger arms battered at the blade. He leapt back as Marw/Darra stabbed at his ankle before aiming a precise Form II slice at her wrist. Which was deftly parried by the swords crossbar, as Marw brought it up to guard, before twisting it forward in a slice at Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Obi-Wan broke off and flicked his still damp hair off his forehead, carefully examining his opponent. Marw used Juyo—Form VII—the same style favoured by the Sith on Naboo, utilizing fast and unpredictable cuts, and overt aggression.

Obi-Wan's favoured style had always been Form IV, the acrobatic and attacking style that was his master's favourite, but during his time training with Jango, had shifted to an attack/defence balance of Form II/III, and he wondered fleetingly which of the two would be more appropriate here. His thought process was cut short though as the Sith leapt at him again, a flurry of blows coming from all angles. He let himself respond with the defensive Form III, retreating up the hill behind him, but Marw kept coming, never allowing him any movement with which to counter attack, and all the while, the Sith Sword's Dark energy kept calling to him, telling him that he could use the Dark Side to prevail. Obi-Wan pushed the voice away, as he drew more on the light side of the Force to keep up with Marw's attack.

Finally spotting an opening, he responded with a cut at Darra's side, but he was forced to hastily withdraw when he realised that the opening had been a ploy, and he had nearly fallen for a deadly trap. Fast as he was though, he wasn't quick enough to avoid the very tip of the sword nicking his wrist.

Hissing with pain, Obi-Wan switched to offence, launching his own barrage of wild lightning-quick blows, the Sith registered surprise then a smirk as Obi-Wan drove it back down the passage, with his mind blank to anything except victory now. He locked his blade between the blade and the crossbar of his opponent and leapt forward, using the leverage to force the blade out of the way. His knee collided with Darra's sternum and flung her backwards onto her back.

As his opponent gasped in shock, Obi-Wan wrenched back control on his blood lust, literally forcing himself to stop the follow-through killing blow; he gave a deep breath, clearing his mind of the darkness that had once again managed to seep in. _I am better than that._

He watched stoïcally as the Sith-possessed girl warily climbed back to her feet, returning his stance to that of a Soresu ready position as Marw eyed him with an unreadable look.

'I've never known a Jedi so disgustingly entrenched in the light.' Marw said bitterly, 'Even with everything you still manage to hold the moral high ground.'

'You flatter me too much; yours was a dark time,' Obi-Wan responded. 'Jedi and Sith fought to the backdrop of galaxy-wide darkness and fear. Such darkness doesn't exist now, your powers of seduction have been greatly reduced, Marw.'

Marw laughed, a beautiful lilting laugh brought forward by Darra's body, but there was nothing serene about the intention that went with the laugh; Marw oozed with contempt. 'Really, Jedi. I may flatter you, but you delude yourself. Even from _here_ I can sense a dark presence, out in the wilds of the galaxy—even more powerful than myself, though it pains me to admit it. There is more darkness in your galaxy now than a thousand strong order of Sith could create.'

Obi-Wan shivered at the words. Could they be true? He had heard nothing about it at the temple; although having said that, given his status, he was unlikely to have been told anything, and he had not really been concerned about such things anyway.

'Once I have beaten you and escaped my confinement,' Marw continued, 'I will seek out the Dark One, and we will rule the galaxy together!'

'And if it really is that strong, you think you can contribute _how_?' Asked Obi-Wan sarcastically as he raised his lightsaber, ready to strike.

'Even when there were thousands of Sith, my powers of possession would have been unique. Just think what this massive power could to if bolstered with my abilities!'

'I think you think too much.' Said Obi-Wan, stepping forward and angling a cut at her left side. He parried vertically to the return slash, and then tried a wristy flick at her chest, he blocked a slash at _his_ left side, and the swung a double handed sweep diagonally to bisect his opponent's torso, but Marw kept him out, switching to Form VI to keep an even range of offence and attack.

Deciding to try something new, Obi-Wan caught a high, left diagonal blow, and forced it into a saber lock above their heads, Darra's face glared at him with absolute malice, but he was unmoved and allowed the Sith to drive the lock to his weaker side... straight into the wall of the tunnel. Unlike the lightsaber which sank into the wall, the Sith sword was metal and so jarred horribly against the rock of the tunnel, Obi-Wan pressed the advantage, retracting his blade to remove it from the wall and then activating it again as he attacked with a flurry of precise Makashi cuts and stabs that forced the Sith back, through the last of the tunnel and into the burial chamber itelf.

The large sarcophagus dominated the room, with a pedestal near the feet where the Sword had clearly been kept; a deep hole in it for the blade to rest in the style of legend—with all but the tip visible to the air.

Marw leapt back onto the coffin, getting away from Obi-Wan's attack, but the reprieve didn't last long, Obi-Wan switched to Form IV again and sprang sideways, pushing off the wall into a flip and striking down at the Sith's head as he passed over. The Sith ducked, but was thrown off balance, and so was unprepared for Obi-Wan's follow up attack as he sent her flying with a pulse of the Force.

The sword fell to the ground with a clag, several metres away from where Darra landed, and Obi-Wan waited to see what happened next. At first he thought he had succeeded, a slightly vacant look crossed Darra's face; but at once, the sword flashed red quickly, and the hatred and focus returned to Darra's eyes even as the sword sailed through the air to land in her palm again.

'You cannot defeat me.' Gloated Marw, as the red energies once again surrounded the blade of the Sith Sword. 'Even if you kill the girl I will live on!'

Obi-Wan wiped the perspiration off his face.

He was now paying the price for not having even practised with his lightsaber for six months; muscles that he had forgotten he had were all now screaming for attention, complaining of undue stress and filing applications for sick leave. Opening himself further to the Force, he tried to dull the muscle fatigue as much as possible, as he brought his lightsaber up to a defensive guard and awaited Marw's attack.

He didn't have to wait long, sensing that her opponent was weakening, Marw sprang over the coffin that separated them, and used the height of the jump to make up for Darra's weaker muscles, slamming into Obi-Wan's blade with a force that made him stagger, and suddenly Obi-Wan found himself hard pressed to keep up as blow after blow of berserker vertical overhead strikes were launched at him, forcing him into the corner.

With nowhere to go but up, Obi-Wan leapt, grabbing the ornate cornices carved out of the living rock with his hands and then pushing off the wall with his feet tucking into a backflip. He landed on the Coffin, and had to immediately leap into a second backflip to avoid losing his feet as Marw came after him. The Sith Blade smote the top of the coffin, cracking the stone lid, and Obi-Wan eyed it warily, very glad that he'd moved. Landing with his lightsaber switched off, he pulled the force into one of his energy balls, and lobbed it at his dark opponent. But Marw countered with a wave of Force energy, deflecting the ball into the sarcophagus, splintering it and the dried-out, mummified contents, into millions of unrecognisable, small pieces.

'Ah well, never was fond of that anyway.' Commented Marw, dryly. 'A tomb befitting me should have at least had gold trimmings on the lid.'

'A–A vain Sith, how unique.' Returned Obi-Wan acidly.

'When I finish with you, your bones will lie in as many pieces.' Promised Marw/Darra.

'I look forward to that.' Panted Obi-Wan. He fell back into Form III defence as he endured another barrage of attacks from Marw. Block high, left, right, deflect high, right. But while his body was busy fending off the attacks, his mind was frantically trying to find a solution to the problem of what to do about Marw.

Given the circumstances, he had no doubts that what Marw/Darra said was true, even if he killed Darra's body, the Sith's spirit would live on; it's malice would keep it together, and then the sword would keep it grounded—

_The Sword!_

An idea formed in Obi-Wan's mind as he realised that, in fact, the sword was the key to everything. It was the only thing that had anchored the Sith's spirit to life for countless centuries, and even now was binding the spirit to Darra's body. He'd just been too stupid to realise it earlier.

Meeting the next blow with deliberate hardness, he switched to attack, using Form IV as he attacked from every angle. He used the Force to leap and attack from above, and ducked low to swing from below. A quick one two with the blade from the right then the left, put Marw/Darra on the back foot, and then he leapt over her as he swung from down low, catching his opponent's blade at head height, then as he landed he span around for a low attack. He rolled left and attacked Marw/Darra's feet, then struck with a hard overhead smack. As he forced them back to the wall, Marw stepped sideways, using Obi-Wan's momentum against him, but he responded with one of his master's favourite techniques; swatting aside the blade that he was meant to slice his belly open on, and turning away and defending the follow up strike behind his back. He continued the turn to come at his opponent with another overhand strike.

But this time, Marw was ready for him, and caught the attack in a saber lock. Before Obi-Wan could react, a foot smashed into his solar plexus, slamming him back against the wall. He blinked stars out of his eyes to see Marw/Darra with the sword raised to shoulder height lunge forward in a stab for right between his eyes. His eyes widened involuntary as he threw himself sideways, the specially Force-Imbued tip buried itself a foot deep into the rock where his head had just been.

Heart pumping wildly from the near escape, Obi-Wan straightened up and brought his lightsaber over his shoulder and down onto the hilt, just between the cross bar and the fingers of Darra's left hand—slicing through it like a hot knife through butter.

Deprived of a counter balance, Darra toppled over backwards, landing on her bum as she threw her head back and screamed bloody murder at the mental backlash from the destruction of the sword. Obi-Wan dived on her before Marw could recover, throwing his lightsaber aside with a clank and clamping his palms over her temples, attempting a Force technique that he had read briefly about, but had never tried or even been given any in depth information about.

He reached out through the Force, using the physical connection of his hands on her temples to slip through the gaps in her psyche where the tendrils of Marw's presence gripped. Closing his eyes, he forced his consciousness deeper through the gap, catching flashes of thoughts and feelings, both light and dark as he tried to find a surface to gain mental purchase on.

Then, without warning, his eyes snapped open, and he found himself in the twisted landscape of Darra's mind.

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

'Master.' Said Qui-Gon softly as he interrupted Yoda's meditation chambers.

'Qui-Gon.' Acknowledged Yoda, 'A trouble you have?'

'I sense a disturbance—it's to do with Obi-Wan, I am sure of it.'

'Yes, a decisive battle he now faces. Of what kind? Sure, I am not. How he fares? Know _this_ I do not either.' Said the wizened master in frustration.

'I request permission to go after him, Master.' Qui-Gon said.

'Permission, I do not give.' Snapped Yoda, 'Obi-Wan's fight this is, win it on his own he must!'

'You're setting him up for failure! I have already argued this point, it'll be like Xanatos all over again—' Raged Qui-Gon.

'Stop this argument, you will!' Yoda snapped, quieting the younger master instantly with a glare, 'At some point, let go we must. If let Obi-Wan stand on his own, we do not, how will he learn to support his own weight?

'Perhaps with Xanatos, we were too early, but if overcome this challenge, Obi-Wan cannot, much darkness lies over his future.'

'What would you have me do then, Master?' Sighed Qui-Gon, sitting cross legged on one of the other meditation chairs.

'Come, meditate together let us. See if we can't see young Obi-Wan's struggle we will...'

* * *

**⁂**

* * *

Every mind had a landscape of some sort, depending on its personality. When he was younger, he had observed that he perceived his master's mind during their joint meditations. He had commented to his master that it was like a jungle, full of life, but with just a hint of lethal danger. At the time, it was not long after Xanatos' suïcide, and he had regretted saying so almost immediately, as Qui-Gon had abruptly left. Things had been even more strained between them for a while. Years later, Qui-Gon had thanked him for the observation, saying that it had helped him, even if it had been hard to accept at the time. He had also told him, that although mindscapes where unique to each person, they were also different to each person that perceived them.

Looking around Darra's mindscape, Obi-Wan beheld a very different vista. Perhaps it had originally been a sunny field, but now perhaps due to the six months worth of hatred and fear, thick black storm clouds boiled overhead, blocking out the sun. But although this was slightly disturbing, it was nothing compared to the dark purple thorns that grew out of every inch of the surface, choking the once green grass to death as it slowly climbed the hill towards the centre of the mind.

They were the strands of the interloper. The dark tendrils of Marw.

Obi-Wan gaped in horror of the mess that the Sith had wrought in such a short space of time, and a moment later, found himself metaphysically pulling out his lightsaber and begin to hack through the thorns.

It was useless, the mindscape stretched on further than the eye could see in every direction, and after a short time of slicing through the offending briar, Obi-Wan turned to find that the thorns where already beginning to regrow where he had started. There was no way that he could defeat the enemy from the outside.

He looked around, looking for any sign of Darra's core, her soul that would hold on for as long as possible before beïng choked under the weight of the thorns. And as the briar began to grow above Obi-Wan's head, he finally caught sight of what remained of Darra, at the top of a hill in the very centre of the mindscape, a sphere or light still burned, holding the thorns back for the moment, but it could only last so long.

Obi-Wan rushed towards it, slashing through the tangle of corruption that had manifested itself as undesirable flora, paying no mind to the occasional scrape or cut he got as he rushed to the top of the hill. The hill got suddenly steeper as Darra's subconscious registered the intruder and tried to protect itself, but Obi-Wan persisted, and before long he stood at the top of the hill, to where a swirl of light and pale colours marked the outer edge of Darra's conscious. The surface was almost opaque, he could only just make out the faint outline of Darra inside, desperately trying to hold back the thorns, but with only limited success.

'_Darra.'_ Called Obi-Wan, _'Let me help you.'_

'_Help!'_ cried out Darra in return, but the situation did not change.

'_I can help y__ou turn the tide.'_ Obi-Wan tried again.

The thorns suddenly pressed in, beating against the shell of light, causing it to flicker slightly as Marw began to put all of his energy into subduing Darra before Obi-Wan could help her.

_Noo!_ Obi-Wan's lightsaber once again flashed to life and he struck back at the thorns circling around the sphere of light, maybe four metres across, slicing through the attacks and beating the thorns back.

'_Darra! Let me help you! I can't win in here without you!' _Obi-Wan shouted as the vines fell back for a brief reprieve.

'_I need help!' _Cried back Darra, Obi-Wan began to get the sinking impression that she didn't know he was there. Turning to the orb of light, he lay both his hands on the surface, trying to use his connection to the force to increase Darra's power. It worked slightly, but again, Darra's subconscious rejected the touch, trying to make it more difficult for him to do anything.

Once again the thorns began to press in again, Obi-Wan in desperation tried again. _'Darra, __you _have_ to let me in, I can help you, but only if I'm on the inside with you!'_

Finally Darra turned and looked through the light barrier to him, she stared in surprise.

'_Darra, give me your hand!' _Obi-Wan begged, _'We can beat him if we just work together!__'_

Darra looked at his hands resting on the surface of the bubble for several moments, then down at her own hands, then up at the thorns that were preparing to strike again.

Obi-Wan broke off as they did so, turning and once again hacking through the reaching vines as they tried to press in on the centre, again he beat them back, but now he was getting mentally exhausted, he knew he wouldn't be able to cope with another round. He turned back again to the figure in the bubble.

'_Please, Darra!'_ he begged.

Darra looked down at her own hands again, and then with a brief nod, reached forward and grabbed his hand with her own. Instantly, the bubble ceased to become a barrier, and Obi-Wan passed right through it, standing at the centre of the eye of the storm with Darra. But straight away, Obi-Wan saw that something was wrong, the Darra that he beheld in the centre, wasn't the same cold initiate that had tormented him for six months, she was a young girl, way out of her depth, innocent and absolutely terrified.

'_Help__ me.' _She begged.

Obi-Wan smiled, passing comforting feelings through their clasped hands, easy as breathing now that they were linked together through the Force. _'Follow me through.'_ He said, the same words that a master would give as they stepped an apprentice through a lightsaber kata, or on the linked controls of a starship.

Holding tightly to each other's hand, Obi-Wan reached out with his left, and used the Force to flood the inside of the bubble with light; forcing it to expand. More and more light he poured in, even as it began to tax his mind, already weary from the last few days, he felt the efforts of Darra joining in, and slowly at first, but gaining pace, the bubble began to expand.

As the bubble reached the thorns, they shrank away from its light, a few tried to strike back against the power of the two Jedi, but they were vaporized on contact with the bubble's skin. As the globe of light expanded, Obi-Wan and Darra stepped apart slightly, but remained with their hands linked, sharing each other's strength as they pushed harder and further on the light, causing it to expand more and more. Soon, they had a large area clear of the black thorns, and the grass inside the sphere began to once again turn a beautiful shade of green. But Marw wouldn't be beaten so easily, the attack on the bubble redoubled, as thorn vines snaked around the outside of the bubble crisscrossing over the top in an effort to completely block off the light that the Jedi where drawing on. Darra whimpered and her efforts faltered as the area began to dim, _'Stand fast, Darra.'_ Urged Obi-Wan, _'It's okay, it doesn't matter what he tries, our strength comes from within ourselves; we will win.'_

Darra didn't respond verbally, but once again her efforts were added to the push, for a few moments they struggled head on with the now thick cage of thorns that Marw had build around them, pushing against each other and waiting for the other side to falter. And then it happened; the thorns buckled, and light poured out through every seam. The thorns struggled for a brief moment more, but then shattered, falling apart like a bundle of twigs.

An inhuman scream echoed across the void as the rest of the thorns burst into rays of light, the presence of Marw slipped from the mindscape and began to fall back out into the Force.

Obi-Wan let go of Darra's hand, smiling briefly before tearing off to where the last of Marw was receding, pulling himself back out of Darra's mind, he sat back and pulled at the presence that was Marw, drawing him into him.

Marw grappled at him as Obi-Wan held firmly onto his presence, trying to keep him from escaping. So instead, Marw tried to use his position to infiltrate his mind. Obi-Wan drew on the Force to slam the strongest set of barriers he could muster around his mind, strengthening the thoughts until they were as unyielding as the rock in the chamber around them. He grasped his own temples, as the furious struggle began to cause physical pain in his head. He realised that he had seriously underestimated his enemy without the power of the sword; Marw's power was incredible as he raked viciously at his mind, trying to gain entrance. Obi-Wan knew that there was only one other option. He looked up at the roof above him, the stone ceiling just a metre and a half above his head, and then looked down at Darra, just near him, who was shakily getting to her feet.

'Go back to the surface.' He yelled at her, as his vision began to swim in and out, 'Tell Marice what happened; I've got a hold of him, I'll try to keep him here.'

'Wha— but...' Darra began, shaking her head in confusion.

'Go,' Said Obi-Wan, focusing the Force into a tangible sphere in his left hand, 'I'm going to have to destroy the chamber.'

Marw redoubled his efforts, and Obi-Wan found it increasingly difficult to focus, he reduced some of his effort against Marw, and focused on more expediently growing the glob of Force energy in a last gamble. Darra finally seemed to realise what was happening and turned to begin to move away, although not with anywhere near the urgency that Obi-Wan wanted.

'Run!' He bellowed, with the energy starting to crackle in his left hand. He thrust his right hand out and blasted Darra with a wave of the Force throwing her forwards into the tunnel, as he raised his left hand and pointed its palm towards the ceiling.

The sphere of force energy smashed into the roof and, as usual, went off with the power of a small bomb, Obi-Wan clenched his head with both hands as he used the last of his mental strength to prevent Marw from escaping as the ground shook uncontrollably. There was a splintering noise, and then the roof finally collapsed—raining down various sizes of rock and silt, burying the Jedi Knight, and the Sith that he had bound to him under a massive pile of rubble.

A few solitary shavings of rock echoed as they tumbled down the settling rubble pile, and then there was complete silence...

* * *

**To be concluded...?**


	13. C h a p t e r T H I R T E E N

F A L L E N F U T U R E 2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Master of the Obvious 7 - Because you complained about it last time, I've gone back to traditional quoting for the rest of the story, thank you for the review and it's good to have you back.**

**The Reaper55 - Indeed...**

**Lazy Drifter - Thankyou**

* * *

-Probation-

C H A P T E R - T H I R T E E N

Death and Dust

_-"I've felt a great disturbance in the Force, a strange twisting and warping. Though I fear to say it, I believe that Obi-Wan is somehow __involved." __**—Mace Windu to his personal log.**_

Helm Warral found himself in quite the most absurd position he had ever been in—he was currently in the process of trying to choke a stalagmite, by the light of a glowstick, without the faintest idea how he'd gotten there.

A blurry haze seemed to cover all his memories, faint glimpses of being chased by demons poked out at him, but most of it seemed too farfetched to be anything other than the product of ridiculous fantasy. _Maybe there's some sort of gas down h__ere with hallucinogenic properties._ He supposed, remembering his one and only foray with spice when he had been far younger and more foolish.

Letting go of the stalagmite with deliberation, he cast his mind back, trying to remember what he'd been doing before his 'trip'. He remembered being in Section F9 with Jiral... where was he anyway? ...and sitting down to make himself a cup of tea; after all, even if people where going missing, a man still needed drink every now and then didn't they? And then... Nothing.

Feeling disappointed at his own lack of memory, he took a gaze around his surroundings (why hadn't he done that in the first place? What was wrong with him?). He was in a large chamber that looked almost like a stadiüm with its tiers of ridges running around from the centre, gradually climbing as they did so. Around him, around a dozen other people were also looking rather confused—some in much worse shape than him, with their knuckles bleeding from where they had been hitting a wall, one looked to have a rescue droid—where had that come from?—in a head lock.

Only one man seemed to have his wits about him, a youngish man with a black vest, and black hair who was standing on the rocky dais in the centre of the chamber. "What's going on?" Helm called to him, "Where are we?"

"We are on the bottom level of the mine." The man responded slowly. "The one that everyone was disappearing into."

"Great, so what do we do now then?" Asked another voice, a woman who looked like she had been curled up in a foetal position, taring her hair out.

"That," Responded Omega, "Is a very good question."

* * *

⁂

* * *

It was an innocent prod through the Force that found Anakin walking up to the door of one of Master Yoda's meditating rooms. Of course, even as the Grand Master of the order, Yoda didn't have a personal meditation room, but it was well known that he could be found there if one ever wanted him for something; that was of course, assuming that he wasn't in the council chambers, one of the classrooms, the room of a thousand fountains or in transit between the four. None the less, all the Jedi knew where you meant if you said near Yoda's meditation room, and the name seemed to have stuck—Garen had even painted a sign on the wall where the room's smaller passage met one of the larger thoroughfares, and most amazing, it hadn't been cleaned off.

Feeling curiöus to the origin of the tendril of the Force that even now drew him to the room, Anakin palmed the door open and stepped in, making sure to keep to the wall when he noticed the projector was on. Something that all the Jedi adhered to was to _never _walk into the middle of a room where someöne was talking over the holonet. It was considered the height of rudeness. It also cost more money for every extra person that was included in the transmission, but Obi-Wan had told him that he was far too cynical when he had suggested that that was the main reason.

Qui-Gon had just laughed.

And speaking of his master. He and Yoda were both sitting with their backs to the door, cross legged as they gazed at the woman in the hologram. She was probably slightly older than Obi-Wan, with long blonde hair in a plait, though clearly not a Jedi, Anakin recognised some attributes of Jedi training in her… or at least he thought he did. If Qui-Gon or Yoda noticed him, they gave no sign, so he carefully walked sideways around the outside of the room until he stood behind Qui-Gon, in the proper position for a Jedi Padawan. At least they wouldn't be able to pick on that as well if they decided to make an issue of his entering unännounced.

"I don't know exactly when he left; he only left a message, but it hasn't been the five hours yet, we just thought that you would be better off knowing." The woman said.

"And what was he like before he went in?" Asked Qui-Gon, leaning forward as if trying to gauge her body language.

"Fairly stressed; we've had a few problems with ah… personality clashes."

"If talking about Miss Thel-Tanis you are, a new problem this is not." Anakin jerked his head around to look at the little green master in shock, Qui-Gon too seemed to be surprised, although he hid it far better than he had, but his frown deepened, and he took his eyes away from the hologram to… not stare exactly, but look scrutinisingly at Yoda. "I wasn't aware that Initiate Thel-Tanis was assigned to the same mission as Obi-Wan." He said pointedly.

"On purpose it was not," Sighed Yoda, "Hoped that she would not be at that particular location, I did, and I was wrong."

"Whatever the case, it's not made life easy here." Said the woman, "But that's what brought things to a head, Darra and the CEO of Breachring went missing while on the lower levels—that's when Obi-Wan decided that he _had _ to go after them."

Yoda closed his eyes as his ears drooped, Anakin thought he looked almost resigned, which was never a good thing for the Green Imp to be, "Thank you, for your report" He said, "I hope that keep us informed, you will?"

"As soon as I have something to inform you about." Answered the woman. With a flicker she disappeared.

Yoda at once slid off his meditation pouf and started pacing up and down the floor. "Prevented this I could have!" He thumped his gimer stick on the floor, sounding as upset as Anakin had ever seen him, even more than when… _no, don't go there._ With two Jedi masters in the room it was better to not even _think_ of the fact that he'd been responsible for _that_.

"You mean about Obi-Wan?" Asked Qui-Gon, "Do you think he's in trouble…?"

"Directly, no." Grunted Yoda, "But kept Darra away I should have, if subjected she is, to the dark side, then turn she will… and want to the comprehend effects on Obi-Wan of that, I do not!"

"What's going on, Master?" Asked Anakin, stepping forward slightly.

"Obi-Wan has entered the mine; the one where those people have gone missing." Answered Qui-Gon with a tense expression, not showing any signs of being surprised by his presence. "And as you heard, Darra is missing down there as well."

"Yes, anger the reason that no one picked her was. Far away from Dark Force events she should have been kept." Yoda said in self recrimination, "Knew I did, of her circumstances, knew I did that she was there, and yet nothing did I do!"

"I think maybe I will repeat some wise words that were not too long ago mentioned to me." Said Qui-Gon, tucking his hands into his sleeves, "We must put all our faith into Obi-Wan. But Anakin and I will get prepped to depart if he doesn't return within the time periöd."

"Yes, yes. Right you are." Yoda sighed as he pushed himself back onto his pouf. "But even if you left now, much good I doubt you could do… Too late it is now for what ifs, and whys. Only what Obi-Wan can do remains."

"Hey, he'll do fine." Said Anakin brightly, "And he's got his lightsaber with him, what could go wrong." He added with a grin.

"No he doesn't, he left it…" Qui-Gon trailed off. "What did you do, Padawan?" He asked sternly.

* * *

⁂

* * *

Darra climbed to her feet weakly, her body felt exhausted, and her head was ringing from the sound of the tunnel collapse. The lights strung along the walls flickered dangerously, bathing the area in only a dim light, but she could see the mountain of rubble where the roof had fallen in. Without really knowing why, she staggered over to it, looking down at the final resting place of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

A man that she hated.

A man who had given his life to save hers.

Despite everything she had said to him, everything that she was sure had made him irredeemable and evil, he had risked his life to save hers, and when he could have cut her down to stop Darth Marw, he had instead sacrificed himself.

It went against everything she thought she knew.

For the first time in six months, she tried to look at the situätion from a different perspective, and just like that, she instantly saw what she had always wilfully overlooked: The times that she had caught him murmuring to himself that the Council were fools; the time that he had been weeping in the Gardens of Light; the many, many times that she had insulted him, and at every time she saw the vulnerability that everyone else had seen but her.

And despite all of that, all the times that she had tried to bait him—had criticised him or accused him, he had given his life when he could have spared it by ending hers. And now… now that she finally understood, it was too late.

Realising that she actually had tears in the corner of her eyes, Darra turned away, instead reaching out into the Force as the instructors at the Temple had taught her to do to put aside her feelings.

Something else which she hadn't done for at least six months—she couldn't remember the last time she had actuälly reached into the force for comfort. Now she just hoped that it would answer down here the toxic depths of the planet.

To her relief, it answered freely, flooding her with peace. But to her great confusion, there was something that she couldn't remember ever beïng there, stretching from her mind before disappearing into the endless changing possibilities of the Force, a small tenuöus link to… what? Curiöus to what she would find, she reached through the Force and gave the string a tug.

In an instant, flashes of memory and feelings blazed across her mind, none of them hers. The brief history of a fellow Jedi, of an honest but self depreciäting one. A small moan a couple of seconds later shook her from the vision, from inside the pile of rock. In disbelief, Darra started digging at the rock, throwing the fist sized stones away, and rolling anything larger, a couple of seconds of work rewarded her with a slowly moving hand, and as she redoubled her efforts, the head and shoulders of Obi-Wan Kenobi were soon exposed. He didn't look good, he had a nasty gash on his hair line, and several bruises on his face, but the bruises meant that he was alive. As she cleared further rubble off his back he suddenly coughed and spluttered into wakefulness.

The first thing he was aware of, was that his head was looking straight down at the ground and was hanging limply just above it. The second thing he realised was that he couldn't move a thing to remove himself from that position.

"Oww, what hit me?" He muttered as he felt weight being removed from his back.

It was at _that_ moment that he realised that he was more than half buried in rubble, and every part of his body ached. But considering that he had been grappling with a Sith moments before, that didn't seem like to bad of an out-come.

"About half a ton of rock." Came the response to his rhetorical question, sounding tired but relieved. Darra.

"Oh, hello." Said Obi-Wan, trying to crane his neck up to see her kneeling by his side as she removed rubble. "Fancy seeïng you here." This time he didn't get a response. With a great heave, he grabbed onto a large rock and tried to use it to pull himself out, meeting with marginal success. He managed to free most of the rest of his body, but his movement caused more of the pile of rubble to collapse, firmly trapping his legs. But at least now he could move a little more, and was able to use one arm to help Darra pull stuff from his legs.

_Oh I _did_ do a good job._ He mused, examining the pile of debris that covered all of the casket chamber, it seemed that he had managed to bury the sarcophagus as well as decimate every square inch of the impressive cornices. And he was still alive and conspicuöusly Sith free, more was the miracle.

"Here." Said Darra as she moved back in front of him and grabbed his arms, "Try that again."

Obi-Wan grasped the girl's wrists, pulling as hard as he could while she pulled at him. It took a moment of straining, but then his feet finally came free. A quick check of his body, revealed to him that nothing else was seriöusly wrong, several cuts and bruises, but no permanent damage, not even a broken bone. _Well__,__ that's about six years of good luck used up at once._ He thought to himself wryly. As he picked himself into a sitting position, Darra did about the last thing he could have expected.

She threw her arms around him and began sobbing into his shoulder like a small child.

Completely caught by surprise, Obi-Wan was stunned for a moment before hesitantly returning the hug, far more used to beïng on the receiving end of them than giving them. Wondering if she was goïng to realise exactly whom she was hugging in a moment and haul back and hit him, he cautiöusly rubbed her back comfortingly, and waited for her to let go.

"I'm sorry." She croaked as she eventually did just that, drawing back and sitting on her knees facing him.

"For what?" Asked Obi-Wan, raising an eyebrow.

"This is all my fault." The girl replied, "If I had believed you in the first place, if I'd let my anger go, if I hadn't tried to second guess your motivations, neither of us would have been down here, and you—"

"Shh." Obi-Wan said, "I would have had to come down here eventuälly anyway, you merely brought forward the inevitable." He probed at his mind, knowing that something unusuäl was catching the corner of his proverbiäl 'Force eye'. A closer examination revealed it to be a connection; a link between minds running from him to…

Darra gave a start as he examined the link carefully, leaving no doubt as to who the link connected him to. A link, weak at the moment, but no less real than the one he had had with Qui-Gon for the length of his apprenticeship.

"What is it?" Asked Darra, subtly indicating her head with her hand.

"It's a bond. A link of minds through the Force, similar to the ones between a Master and a Padawan." Answered Obi-Wan carefully, realising that having no experiënce with a bond, that Darra would have no ideä what it was, while at the same time trying not to disturb her.

"What?" Cried Darra in alarm, "But… how did it get there?"

Obi-Wan sat thoughtfully, examining the link while he pondered his answer. "I would say that it probably formed while we were fighting Marw in your mind." He said eventuälly, "We clasped hands to help strengthen our defence; perhaps that was a metaphor for developing the bond."

"Is it permanent?" Asked Darra cautiöusly.

"No. I can sever it right now if you want me to." Said Obi-Wan.

Darra hesitated, "No." She said after a moment, "I think I could get used to it… If you could stand the thought of having a link to someöne who has touched the dark side."

Obi-Wan snorted. "Now you sound like me! There is an old proverb, Darra," He said, "That perhaps you and I could both take note of: The Glory is not in never falling, but it rising every time you do."

"Who said that?" Asked Darra with a slight twitch of her lips.

"No one actuälly, I just made it up." Answered Obi-Wan with a rueful smile, "But Qui-Gon used to say things along those lines."

He looked at her carefully, debating in his mind. "Darra." He began, "I know that I said before that you and I weren't so dissimilar..."

Darra nodded slowly.

"Perhaps what we both need is a new start."

"That's fine for you; I'm never going to get another chance at beïng a Jedi!" Snapped Darra, a flash of anger returning.

"Not necessarily, you're not thirteen yet."

"I am tomorrow." Mumbled Darra bitterly, "Who's goïng to ask me before then?"

Obi-Wan bit back a groan—she wasn't making this easy for him; why couldn't she just get the hint. "I am." He said. Darra's copper hair flew over her face, as she whipped her head around, "I know that you refused me before, but I'll ask one more time. Would you become my Padawan?"

"Me, become your apprentice?" She repeated with a stunned expression—as if it was the first time he'd suggested it. He nodded gravely, "I would on one condition." She said slowly.

"Which is?" Asked Obi-Wan with a slight frown.

Darra smiled brightly, "That you teach me how to do that cool explosion ball thing!"

"Deal."

* * *

**Well, there. One of the most annoying things that I find about writing is that you have a great ideä about a scene that you want to do later on in the story, you spend all your time building up to it, and then it disappoints you at the end. This is a scene that I've had penned out from before I'd gotten very far on the first story, unfortunately I had it penned out in the metaphorical sense, not the practical, maybe it's because the chapter isn't actuälly as good as I imagined it, or maybe it's because I couldn't recall exactly how I'd wanted it to go, but either way, while this chapter was much better than the previous couple IMHO, it fell a long way short of my expectations... still, such is life, now let us look on to the next one...**


	14. C h a p t e r F O U R T E E N

FALLENFUTURE2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Darth Keyara** - Find out now!

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi -** Thankyou

**Master of the Obvious -** Thankyou for saying so, I think the main problem has just been the inconsistent nature of my writing which has meant that it takes me a chapter of writing to feel comfortable with the characters again, and then I have another long break... Anyway enjoy.

**Holly-Batali -** I know that you mean, there where a couple of stories that I've read where it has all but become a canon of it's own, Shadows of the Future by stormqueen being one of them, I'm flattered that you say the same about my own.

**julzdagger88 -** cheers

**l00kselly -** thankyou

**chisscientist -** Thankyou

**Nathanmole -** I suppose it was something that was unneeded for canon where the story was about Anakin's fall...

**Sebi -** The idea is to continue the series through to ROTS, We'll see if I make it that far thoughXD

**stcobb -** here go, sorry about the non ASAP part.

**Krizhna14 -** As I said, it didn't really work out how I'd hoped, It made a lot more sense in my head, but I hope to eventually demonstrate how it works. And Jango may have another appearance in the future. I hope you'll stick around for it, and thankyou for taking the time to review.

**chibi heishi** - XD

**M Uchman -** And Here it is.

* * *

-Probation-

CHAPTER-FOURTEEN

Mind Games

_-"Amazing, I would never have believed this outcome if I'd been told in advance. But at least it's all over now." __**—Obi-Wan Kenobi**_

Two Jedi who all but hated each other had gone in—a master and an apprentice had come out, Marice Payne could not have been more surprised if they had announced they were getting married.

And yet...

And yet, there was something undeniäbly _right_ about the pair, something so fundamental that she wasn't quite sure why she hadn't seen it before. Still, not for the first time, she wondered how it could have come to happen; so far they had said nothing of their experiënces down in the depths of the mine.

Not that they'd had the time.

They had returned to the surface with all of the surviving miners, in the end, two had died; one during a misguided fight with Obi-Wan, and the other had been killed by one of the other miners in their panic it seemed. Thankfully, no one knew exactly who it had been, and no one was likely to ever remember, sparing the one responsible the guilt of knowing that they had committed murder. There was one person that Obi-Wan hadn't just let go so easily though. Granta Omega sat with his arms bound to one of the chairs in Marice's office, glaring at them from under his now dishevelled hair that hung limply in his eyes.

Obi-Wan stood on the other side of the desk, calmly eyeïng him while keeping his hands tucked into his opposite sleeves of his cloak. "Well?" Asked Omega at last, "Are you goïng to tell me why you've locked me up here?!" his attention solely focused on Obi-Wan, completely ignoring the other three occupants of the room.

"It wouldn't have worked anyway, you know." Said Obi-Wan with a slight frown.

"What wouldn't have?" A slight fault in his expression suggested that he had at least a reasonable ideä.

"The cause of the dark Force energies was not a nexus, so you couldn't have used it to empower yourself."

"Empower myself? You're insane, Jedi." Snapped Omega

"Prove me wrong then." Said Obi-Wan sternly, "If you weren't here to empower yourself with the Force, what are you doing here, and _don't_ say because of concern for the missing people because I know as well as you do that that's not the reason."

Omega said nothing.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Said Te Har, "But I feel I must point out that it is illegal under Sor'udeiniän law to hold someöne under arrest without charging them —even for a Jedi. And as he mentioned earlier, the authorities will not allow you to leave with him until he has stood trial here."

Omega smirked gloatingly.

"Fine." Snapped Obi-Wan, shooting a glare a Te Har, "He's charged with attempted terrorism, no less than sixty counts of attempted murder, three counts of attacking a Jedi on a mission of the Republic, reckless conduct endangering a national monument—which the Carregiän castle was, I checked; piracy, Hijacking, endangering a spacecraft, unauthorised imprisonment and acts of war against the head of state of a member world of the Republic." He paused to take breath, "And I'm sure I can think of a few more things to add on the way home to Coruscant, particularly after today. You're going to be very busy for the next hundred or so years." He finished, feeling just a little bit satisfied that Omega had no more innocent missing people to hide behind.

"Well, well, I am impressed with your imagination." Said Omega, not sounding the least bit perturbed, "I wasn't aware that half of those charges even existed."

"Trust me, they do." Said Obi-Wan levelly. "And officers from the Sor'udeina Police will be here within the hour."

"What where all the rescue droids for?" Asked Darra, taking half a step forward to stand just behind and to the side of Obi-Wan, the traditional place of a Padawan. A thought that shook Obi-Wan as he once again felt out of his depth at the prospect.

Omega's eyes slid over to Darra, who was still dressed in the same stained orange jumpsuit that Marw had fought with her in. "Well girly, hypothetically, I could maybe see someone in my position using them to gain the trust of the jedi that was to be stationed here, I could see that person then using them to break into the deepest vaults of the tomb..."

"Yeah, well we knew they weren't for rescuing the miners." Darra frowned.

"And what then?" Asked Obi-Wan, a slight tendril of something unidentifiable touching his mind. "'Hypothetically' of course?"

Omega smiled nastily, "Well, to wipe out all of the miners here of course. That would be the obvious thing for that person to do to escape unbeknownst to the authorities. Not that I would do so, of course..."

Marice and Te Har blanched.

Obi-Wan's frown deepened, "Darra, go and make sure that all of those droids are loaded on to the police shuttle; it should be here by the time you get there. Every one of those things is evidence."

"Yes, Master." Said Darra, shooting him the tiniest of smiles, Obi-Wan felt a swath of warmth sweep through him. The moment was ruined when Te Har's communicator rang, as he stepped away to answer it, Darra gave a short bow before leaving to attend to her task. Noöne noticed the miniscule flash of triumph that flashed over Omega's face.

"Now then." Said Obi-Wan turning back to Omega as the door closed behind his new apprentice. "Why did you wait until I had arrived before you decided to get involved?"

"Really this questioning is most tedious, must we go through it?"

"Yes, we must, now answer the question!"

"Maybe I just wanted to meet you personally." Suggested Omega.

"Thanks, but I think we were already far too acquainted."

"Perhaps a Jedi was a welcome distraction, or an serendipitous coincidence."

There was something behind what he was saying there, Obi-Wan could tell, but just what it was eluded him. "I know you're not telling me the half of what's going on here, and I intend to find out, one way or the other." He growled.

"Is that a threat, Kenobi?" Omega said tightly.

"Only if you take it as one."

The two glared at each other for a long moment, each determined not to be the one to look away. In the end, both looked around as Te Har rejoined the conversation. "Master Kenobi, the prime minister of Sor'udeina has heard about the results of this morning, he would like us all to attend a function tonight so he can meet us."

"Out of the question." Dismissed Obi-Wan out of hand, turning back to Omega.

"He was most persistent."

Obi-Wan sighed, "When and where? I want to accompany Omega to prison." He said, then added under his breath, "And anything to get out of a room full of politicians."

"Seventeen hundred hours." Said Te Har.

"We'd have to leave almost immediately." Said Marice with a touch of surprise, "I take it's in the capitol?"

Te Har nodded.

"Well that puts an end to that." Said Obi-Wan dismissively. He turned back once again to Omega. "What was —" He was interrupted again, this time by his own comm ringing.

"Kenobi." He answered irritably.

"Master, the police have arrived." Said Darra.

"Good. If you've finished with those droids, show them the way down."

"Yes, Master. All thirty four of them"

"Believe me, Kenobi," Said Te Har "I understand your concerns, but the Prime Minister is very excited about meeting with you."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. He'd met several planetary leaders over the years, and none of them had been excited to meet Jedi for anything other than a bid to win votes; excepting the times where there was a serious problem that the leader had invited them for in the first place, of course.

"Look I'm sorry Te Har." He said, "I will not be made a part of some political stunt, so unless he's got some pressing problem he wants me to solve, I think that making sure that Omega here is taken to a secure jail is more important than accolades."

"Come on, Obi-Wan, lighten up." Said Marice, "It's just a party."

"A _frivolous_ party." Obi-Wan corrected. Marice ignored the comment, "The police are used to dealing with criminals, you know, even tricky dangerous ones."

"Unfortunately, I have the distinct displeasure of knowing that Mr Omega here has a habit of having first, second and third backup plans."

"Why, that could _almost_ be taken as a compliment coming from you." Said Omega dryly, apparently not content with the lack of attention being paid to him.

"You're sure?" Asked Te Har cajolingly.

"Trust me, I am _not_ going to this party."

* * *

⁂

* * *

Obi-Wan sat in the air taxi bound for the Sor'udeinan capitol with an expression that would flay flesh, how they had convinced him he'd never know. And yet somehow they'd managed.

Drolly he observed that he hadn't made a very good rolemodel of unyielding will for his apprentice; between Te Har, Marice, Darra and the police chief, they'd managed to argue that Omega would be transported directly to jail under the protection of ten guards, and that it would only be a political slight if Obi-Wan refused to front up.

Frankly, despite the assurances, Obi-Wan still had a grave misgiving about the idea of letting any son of Xanatos out of his sight, but in the end, he'd been unable to counter their arguments without insinuating that he didn't trust to policemen to do their job; which was true—at least for this prisoner—but that was hardly something that a galactic diplomat could say and maintain any respect, so he'd been forced to concede.

But something more sinister continued to lurk at the back of his mind, not even dulled by the indignation of being forced to capitulate. Something that Omega had said during the interview which was gnawing on his nerves, and quickly developing into one of his 'bad feelings', which had the unfortunate and uncanny knack to be right.

"Do you think the Council will accept me back after all the trouble I caused?" Asked Darra breaking the silence.

Obi-Wan broke out of his musings to study his companions, Darra had been redressed in her initiate robes, with a cloak that Marice had said she could have, it was ever slightly too small, but it looked the part, and that was the main thing. Marice herself was dressed in the dress uniform of the ., while Te Har was wearing traditional Sor'udeinian robes, Obi-Wan had merely put on a new set of robes that he had brought with him.

"They'll have to." Said Obi-Wan, "The Council has great power, but even they cannot overrule the selection of a padawan by a master. That was one of the concessions made into the Code after the Russan Reformation.

"The Code says no such thing." Frowned Darra.

"The official _Jedi Code_ doesn't mention it." Agreed Obi-Wan, "But that is the code that encapsulates the Jedi beliefs, The Code of operations, which you will probably study next year has several more defined 'rules' that you are to adhere to. And it features such rules as the one about not being able to take more than one padawan and so forth."

Darra frowned, "I've never heard of it, why were we not taught it as initiates?" Marice also looked over with interest. Te Har meanwhile had his head buried in a datapad.

"Because initiates are always supervised, now that you're a padawan, you will be expected to become more independent and study and complete assignments on your own, and it will not be long before you are expected to assist in some missions where you won't be under direct supervision. The _Jedi _Code is the central belief upon which the our ways are built, so we impress that upon initiates from a very young age.

"You will already be familiar with many of the rules, even if you weren't aware of it." He added.

"Oh." Said Darra thoughtfully.

"It will be more interesting to see what your friends say." Commented Obi-Wan. "I remember mine when I departed a cast away, and returned a padawan with already two missions under my belt." He grinned wistfully. "I thought Bant would pass out."

"I'm not sure." Said Darra subduedly, "I didn't leave on very good terms with some of them."

"Well, if they have forgiven me... twice, you'll find I'm sure, that they will forgive you, that is the way of Jedi, and even more of junior padawans; before you go and become a cynical old git like me."

Both Marice and Darra snorted. "I dunno, I recon Master Windu was born cynical." Muttered Marice.

"Mmm, Master Windu…" Said Obi-Wan thoughtfully, "Unbeknownst to the galaxy, he actually has a softer side. Don't tell him I said that though." He added quickly.

The Airtaxi banked to the left as they came in low over the city, and moments later, they heard and felt the slight clank as the landing gear was extended, before the ship touched down with a slight bump.

"I guess that means we're here." Obi-Wan quipped, standing as much as he could in the low airtaxi. The door slid open, and the group of four making their way down the ramp, Te Har leading and Darra bringing up the rear.

The airtaxi had set down on a large paved concourse, with strips of grass and trees lining the outside. To the end of the space stood the large Planetary Palace event hall which the party was to be held in, it's large twirling spires looking almost translucent in the evening light. Awaiting them at the foot of the ramp was a busboy, dressed in a red robe which hinted at opulence down to the last detail, Obi-Wan was familiar enough with the way these things worked to know that the building and the people inside would be even more ostentatious.

"Mister Te Har, Master Jedi." Said the page with a bow as he greeted them. He swallowed self-consciously as his eyes darted to Darra, who seemed not to notice. Obi-Wan smiled to himself. "This way please." The page said, regaining his composure. The four of them followed the young man as the taxi took off behind them, he lead them down a ramp which seemed to sink into the concourse. The effect was rather spectacular as he led them down a wide corridor, and opened one of the richly carved wooden doors, which lead them into the main hall

The hall was held was enormous, a statement of opulence far in excess of what any government needed in Obi-Wan's opinion, but then on a wealthy planet with a healthy mining industry, he supposed that the statement was in proportion with the rest of the planet at least. Having seen many such spectacles during his career, he quickly lost interest in the building architecture though and began a casual scan of the crowd, Darra on the other hand, had seen only Coruscant, and precious little of that, and was looking around with unabashed awe.

"You'll catch a fly walking around like that." He said before he could stop himself. Jeeze, how many times had his own master said something like that?

Darra grinned, "Sorry, Master." She said.

Obi-Wan's face twisted in a smile. He looked around for their companions, Te Har and Marice were speaking to people who looked suspiciously like intra-planetary senators, no doubt about something related to the mine. Which left just him and Darra sticking out like sore thumbs thanks to their brown robes amongst the colour of the congregation.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi?" Called a startled voice out of the blue. Obi-Wan turned in surprise, wondering who in this crowd could have recognised him. It was a man about the same age as him, or maybe a touch younger. His ruddy-brown hair and blue eyes were the main differences in a face that apart from that actually looked startlingly alike his own. "It _is_ you." The man added as he drew closer.

"Owen." Said Obi-Wan, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable about meeting his brother. For who else could it be who now stood in front of him? He hadn't seen him in years, not since he'd been shipped off to Coruscant as a two year old. Owan had been only a few months old then, but something of the same feel of that infant still remained in the adult he had become.

"When they said that a Jedi had resolved the crisis in the mine, I'd hoped that it was you." Owen said.

"Why? I wouldn't have thought you'd even remember me."

"Mum always used to follow your exploits when it was reported that you were involved. We all heard of them, until a few years ago when the suddenly stopped, only to crop up again just recently." Said Owen, "But we knew what you'd been up to, Ohreithyn tried to contact you once, by message, but we only got a letter back from some Gahlia woman, saying that we couldn't contact you directly until you had passed some trial."

"Ohreithyn?"

Owen blinked slightly, "Sorry, our sister. I suppose you wouldn't have known about her either then?"

Obi-Wan blinked as he processed what Owen had said. He had a sister? He usually forgot that he had a family at all outside the Jedi, it was not a subject that Jedi were expected to dwell on. "We aren't allowed to know or meet our families until after we have past a trial of dedication." He confirmed hesitantly.

"Wait, so he's your brother!?" Asked Darra in surprise.

"Indeed." Answered Obi-Wan, "Sorry Darra; this is my brother Owen. Owen, Darra Thel-Tanis, m-my apprentice." He stumbled over the words If things grew any more surreal, he was going to have to start pinching himself.

"Delighted." Said Owen, giving her a nod.

"So what are you doing here then?" Asked Obi-Wan, "You don't seem to carry yourself like a politician."

Owen grinned slightly, "No, I'm an Astroprogrammer; I'm here with Ohreithyn, she's the politician on the make." His grin faded slightly, "Or she was."

Before Obi-Wan could enquire as to the change of timbre, his brother had brightened up again, "Come, come meet her," He said, beckoning him through the crowd.

"I'll be right back, Darra." Said Obi-Wan, trailing after his brother.

"There she is." Said Owen proudly as they reached the edge of the building, where it opened out into the gardens. A young woman of perhaps nineteen dressed in an elegant dress stood looking out into the gardens, her strawberry blonde hair done up into an intricate bun. The first thing that Obi-Wan noticed was that despite the fact that she stood there amongst milling people, no one so much as looked at her. The second was with a nasty lurch that he already had met her, in the worst possible place.

_"Wrong answer!" snarled Ken igniting his lightsaber, and pointing it at her throat. "I'll ask you again, who told you I was coming?!"_

But the young woman he looked at now, looked vastly different from the senator's aid he'd threatened on Nar Shaddar, her hair was duller, and she had lost an unhealthy amount of weight, a general sense of unwellness hung about her, leading Obi-Wan to a horrible conclusion. "Owen." He said suddenly, grabbing his brother's arm still twenty metres from their sister, "You said that she _was_ a budding politician, _was_ not is. She's not ill is she?" He let the sentence hang, full of meaning.

A look of blank shock passed over Owen's face, "Oh, no." He said catching the meaning with horror, "Nothing like that. It's just..." He trailed off...

"Six months ago, she was a junior aide for Senator Jodukeh, she was well liked and respected, and then..." His eyes hardened, "They went to Nar Shaddar, I forget why, but either way, while they were there, there was an attack on the building, everyone in the Senator's staff, plus a hired protection company were killed; all except Ohreithyn.

Obi-Wan screwed his eyes shut. It had been him. Yet again, his actions came back to haunt him.

Owen continued, "Then, to make it worse, she couldn't remember anything about the attack afterwards, despite extensive... 'questioning' by the police. Some people even speculated that she had been involved with the attack, which as you can imagine shattered her completely; she's never quite been the same since, though she tries to hide it most of the time."

Obi-Wan gave a preparative sigh, "Let me have a word with her alone." He said. Without waiting for an answer he stepped away from his brother, approaching the young woman and walking alongside her.

* * *

⁂

* * *

Far away from the opulence of the party, two figures, unnoticed by the local security silently crept aboard a small spacecraft. Moving with mechanical precision, they navigated their stolen ship through its start up and took off, submitting the usual hyperspace advisory packet before making their jump.

The perfectly routine event didn't even twitch the eye of the local controller, even when the eventual destination was filed and transmitted to Coruscant, the request, although slightly different from usual, was all by the book, and was submitted to the relevant authorities, none of it caused anything to be alarmed about, and yet, a small ripple of the Force began to spread.

* * *

⁂

* * *

"Ohreithyn." Said Obi-Wan after standing beside her for a good few seconds. The young woman looked at him, recognition sparking in her eyes.

"Obi-Wan, the eldest. The Jedi." She said devoid of any emotion.

"And yet still your brother."

Ohreithyn nodded slowly. "I grew up on stories about you, you know." She said, "Mum and Owen in particular always loved talking about you. That's why I started into politics, both if you will, to make a difference like you, and yet make my own name.

"That was the plan anyway."

"Until Nar Shaddar." Obi-Wan said quietly.

"Yes."

"It had nothing to do with you." Said Obi-Wan, "The foe you faced killed five Jedi before he was brought to justice, there was nothing you could have done."

Ohreithyn's eyes flashed. "He was brought to justice?"

Obi-Wan considered telling her exactly what happened, but he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that it was her own brother who had torn apart her world, and was now walking free beside her. "He was... dealt with." He said instead. "He confessed everything to the Jedi Council, and he'll never endanger anyone again." He left it as vague as possible. "But I know that he worked alone. Kryan had hired him to assassinate the senator, and no one else was involved." He said the last bit loud enough for the crowds surrounding them to hear, already he was aware of mutterings amongst them.

"I'll make sure I mention as much to the Prime Minister as well." He said, "You don't have to feel guilty any more, Ohreithyn. For what it's worth, if you're still interested in being a politician, I think you should go for it."

A slight smile crossed her face. "Thank you, Obi-Wan." She said.

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something further, but at that moment with an amplified boom to his voice, a man at a press stand began to speak, both in traditional Sor'udeinian and Basic. "Cutaoj udt Wodkocmod. Nocsemo ke Celebration V ev Cil Grantha! Ladies and Gentelmen, welcome to Celebration V of Cil Grantha.

We would welcome the Prime Minister in just a moment, but first, special mention must be made to the unfortunate tragedy in the BreachRing Number Thirteen mine, I'm sure that everyone is already aware of the details, but I would like to say..."

Obi-Wan tuned out as his comlink began to vibrate, "Kenobi." He said quietly.

"Just wanted to say good bye, sucker!"

Obi-Wan froze.

It was Omega.

"Surprised? Well don't worry, greater minds than yours have tried and been found wanting when put against mine—you should never have trusted the police to keep me contained. Men are so easily bribed you know." The criminal boasted smugly.

"You can't run, Omega," Obi-Wan warned, "The Jedi Council will track you down to the ends of the earth. I will _personally_ make sure you are brought to justice."

"How rude, and with the present I was sending your order too." The response was pure silk, but with an undercurrent of acid, and it made Obi-Wan's blood run cold.

"What have you done?" He hissed, ignoring the people around him who were beginning to stare.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." With that the link terminated with a burst of static; probably from a hyperspace jump. Obi-Wan's brain went into overdrive as he tried to work out what was afoot here, whispers of conversation and snapshots of scenes raced through his mind.

_"Yes, Master. All thirty four of them."_

Thirty four mining rescue droids. There had been thirty _six_ that came back up deactivated, he had counted. But Darra wouldn't have noticed that...

A very, _very_ bad feeling began to tug at him.

"I'm sorry." Said Obi-Wan to Ohreithyn and Owen who had joined them, "I hope we see each other again some time." He said giving them a half bow. Then before they could ask questions he was already sweeping away, pausing only to grab Darra as he pushed through the crowds, the voice of the speaker totally forgotten.

"What's wrong, K-Obi–Master?" Asked Darra as they left the hall at a sprint.

"We've got trouble."

* * *

**AN: We're near the end of the story now. This was going to drag on for quite a bit longer, but I decided that it was just going to stagnate and get boring, so I've pruned it right back. Hopefully it's not too rushed for everyone. Next time... the penultimate chapter.**

**BTW, does everyone notice that the formatting rules have become stricter? I can't do my capital space capital thing anymore Grrrr.**


	15. C h a p t e r F I F T E E N

FALLENFUTURE2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Darth Keyara -** Yes indeed, this will be the penultimate chapter of this story. I've just got the epilogue to go.

**Master of the Obvious 7 -** I don't really know that this will live up to standards, but I'm getting very stuck with this story, so I think it's better to end it off now and start afresh with the next part.

**The Reaper55 -** Not to worry. Yes the last dash of action; just when you think that everything's going to wind downXD

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi -** It was kinda nice to put them in, just to show that a Jedi's family doesn't just drop off the face of the earth. I've always had fun trying to picture what thats like, knowing that you're related to someone famous, and yet knowing that they don't have the foggiest who you are. It's not something that I really get to fully explore here.

**Valairy Scot -** Yes, unfortunately I have to say that Oreithyn came from a time when I like many writers mistakenly felt that I had to add my own character just to spice things up, and then I was committed to resolving the plot thread... anyway, suffice to say that except maybe in the final part, they won't appear again.

**Ginger Jedi -** Thankyou

**MaryKenobi **- Glad you've enjoyed it.

AN: Now, as you will probably have gathered, this is the last proper chapter of this story, with only the epilogue to go, I feel that it ends a bit abruptly, so I wanted to apologise for that, however, I've rather foolishly written into a spot where I either end it abruptly here, or I spend another 10,000 words doing so... And since I'm too lazy to do the latter, I chose to end it here. Maybe I will get back to finishing it off later. BTW, free genuine pretend cookies to anyone who can guess where the title for this chapter as well as 12 & 13 came from.

* * *

-Probation-

CHAPTER–FIFTEEN

**A Talent for Life**

_-"I sense a disturbance in the Force, great danger I fear the Temple is in..." __**—Grand Master Yoda**_

⁂

Obi-Wan leaped out of the air taxi even it pulled to a stop on the floodlit mining platform, but immediately realised that there had been no point to his hastiness. Blunt shock stuck him as he realised that the Mancet wasn't there amongst the mining vessels.

"Master?" Asked Darra coming up alongside him.

"The ship's gone." He murmured. "Tell the cabbie to wait." He said, already sweeping towards the turbolift. He mashed the button with unrestrained impatience, urging the elevator to move faster. The bad feeling that had been growing ever since his conversation back here with Omega was screaming at him of impending disaster. He almost made the security guard leap into the air as he slammed the door open with the Force when the lift reached the bottom.

"Back already, Master Jedi?" Asked the man, "I thought—"

"When was my ship taken?" Asked Obi-Wan, cutting him off.

"Your ship?" Repeated the man.

"Yes. Please, this is important."

"Well, I don't— Hey where are you going?!" Obi-Wan had already sped past him, making his way to the security monitoring room. He wasted no time in calling up the hologram of the landing platform and rewound it furiously. After about thirty seconds of static ridden footage, the little ship flew backwards into frame and onto the ground, and Obi-Wan hit the play button.

When he had asked Omega before about the rescue droids, the answer he had been given had bothered him for some reason he couldn't fathom. Now, the reason played out in perfect clarity across the surface of the holoprojector as two of the machines marched up the boarding ramp of the ship and seconds later took off.

Obi-Wan watched the miniature vessel fly out of range of the holocamera before he slumped back into his seat and rubbed his temples with both hands; He had screwed up. Badly. He'd let Omega play him for a fool!

Perhaps, Omega had been remotely interested in using the supposed Dark Side Nexus to empower himself, and he was almost positive that he really _had_ been influenced by its power after arriving. But his ultimate goal had been something far simpler and just as deadly. The Mancet had all of the docking code required to land at the Jedi Temple, and to pass through the Coruscant traffic procedures. Nothing would stop it. And who knew just what was planned for when it reached the temple?

Nothing good. Of that he was sure.

"Darra, we need to head back to the city; make sure the guy's ready to leave as soon as I get there." And without waiting for a response, he tucked the comm into his sleeve and jogged back towards the turbo lift, even as the security guard caught up with him, only to have to double back. "What's the hurry?" Helm the security guard muttered under his breath.

* * *

⁂

* * *

Anakin was a common fixture in the Temple's Airspace Control Room, it was a great place for him to study, where the constant noise, chatter and ordered chaös seemed to settle his concentration like no amount of silence could.

Whereas some Jedi (Like Yoda) preferred to meditate to meditate in the absolute quiet of the sound insulated Meditation Rooms, and other Jedi (like Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon) liked the gentle natural sounds of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, Anakin always sought out either a Starship that needed to be repaired or modified, or else sat in a corner of the Airspace Control room, listing to the endless chirps of notifications and chatter of clearances being issued.

And so it was that when he was supposed to be writing an article on the interspecies relations on Mon Calamari, that he heard the registration of the ship that Obi-Wan had taken being issued an arrival vector from the hyperspace revision point above Capitol Centre. From the revision point, it would probably take him twenty minutes to landing—which should be plenty of time for him to gather a couple of friends and arrive there to meet him.

His mind turned first to Tru; but he was off planet on his first mission, so he was of course unreachable. Ferus hardly counted amongst those that Anakin would like to spend any amount of time with. And Darra had left. But Sandy was still there, and he was Master Muln's Padawan. With his mind made, Anakin abandoned his work and slipped from the room, careful not to disturb the busy controllers.

He knew where his fellow Padawan would be at this time of day, unlike himself, Sandy was of more a Yoda type, and would probably be working in silence in his quarters. Or at least he might have been, until Anakin rapped smartly on his door.

"Oh, Anakin." Said Sandy somewhat distractedly as he answered. "Can't this wait? I've got to finish this assignment tonight."

"It'll still be there in a moment." Said Anakin cheerfully, "I just heard that Obi-Wan is inbound. Do you wanna come and greet him back."

"Well, I really ought to…"

"Aw, come on." Anakin cajoled.

"Master Garen would be so disappointed in me…"

"Leave a note then, if you must. This is Obi-Wan's first solo mission as a knight remember. He'll understand."

"Oh alright." Agreed Sandy, rushing back to write his master a quick note on his data pad, before grabbing his cloak and stepping out to join Anakin.

"Wizard, let's go!" Grinned Anakin.

The sun was just beginning to set as they stepped out into one of the smaller docking bays, this one home to half a dozen or so smaller transports. And presently, their attention was drawn to a small speck growing rapidly in size as it coasted above the lower buildings of the temple district. In what seemed like no time at all the Mancet was passing the threshold of the hanger, activating it's thrust reverses and gently settling down in one of the empty parking bays.

It was not the most graceful landing Anakin had ever seen Obi-Wan make, and a cheeky sneer crossed his face as he entertained the notion of just _how_ he was going to inform the older Jedi of that. The two boys walked up to the spacecraft with bright smiles as the ramp began to lower. But something was wrong, Anakin stopped as he sensed danger prickle down his spine. "Wha—" Asked Sandy, half turning back to him.

Two droids clanked down the ramp of the ship, which Anakin instantly catalogued in his mind as Rescuse Droids, before his danger sense kicked into overdrive.

Two lightsabers flared into life at once, Anakin's green blade whirling up to catch the first of the plasma blasts, amplified to dangerous levels, spitting at him. The two Jedi boys deflected two blasts. Five. Ten. Then with a startled cry, Sandy was caught in the stomach—two more blasts thundered into him before he hit the ground.

He didn't move again.

* * *

⁂

* * *

Obi-Wan and Darra reverted directly over the temple, if at a height of four hundred kilometres. As soon as the computer of their commandeered vessel allowed it, Obi-Wan opened a channel to the temple. "Master." He said, as Qui-Gon's voice answered.

"Obi-Wan! I'd heard some news reports saying that—"

"No time for that, Qui-Gon, I have reason to believe that my ship has been hijacked by rescue droids that have been modified into combat models by Granta Omega, it may have already docked."

Qui-Gon felt a chill sweep through him at the words of his onetime apprentice. "I'm on it." He said, before hanging up.

"Master Windu, code red, code red. Possible armed intruders in the temple." He said into the device a second later, having changed contacts.

Mace was an experienced combat veteran, he wasted no time by asking where the information had come from, "Any idea where they are?"

"Hanger Five." Said Qui-Gon, feeling the truth of the words as he said them. It _would_ make sense considering that that was where Obi-Wan had taken off from—that would be the latest entry on the flight computer.

"Get Garen Muln, and I'll get Master Fitso, we'll meet there." Ordered Mace briskly before the connection was cut. Qui-Gon nodded anyway, even as he tucked the device back onto his belt and made for the door.

Garen's quarters where on the way to the hanger; the young knight as a member of the fledgling Jedi Starfighter Program had been quartered at the end of the living sector closest to the hangers. Qui-Gon banged on the door twice before growing impatient and flicking the door open with the force. A second later, Garen darted out of the 'fresher. "Do you mind!? You can't just barge into other people's apartments, Qui-Gon!"

"Where's your Padawan, Garen?" Asked the older master as he spied the empty seat with work spread around it. A feeling of dread began to descend onto him.

"Oh, uh." Garen trotted over to the table and reread the note that was scribbled onto the datapad, "He and Anakin went down to Hanger Five to greet Obi-Wan." He said, "I was actually just about to head down there myself."

Qui-Gon was already running, and as if sensing the sudden urgency, Garen swore and tore after him.

* * *

⁂

* * *

Anakin trembled as he hid behind one of the massive magnocranes that were used for moving spacecraft around the hanger for maintenance, mentally wincing at each metallic clang as the remaining droid paced carefully around looking for him. After Sandy had been struck down, Anakin had managed to run back further into the hanger, feeling that he was thoroughly outmatched by the two monstrosities that had once been instruments of peace.

Against his hopes that the Droids would lose interest in him and would enter further into the temple where he'd be able to alert the others and set a trap for them, The two droids had then began to search for him, driving him further and further into the hanger as they cut loose with a deadly spray of plasma anytime their electronic sensors picked up the slightest movement.

He'd managed to take one by surprise by dropping a starfighter grasped by the magnocrane onto it, but even then, it had almost filled him full of holes in the time that it took him to leap to it and dispatch it permanently. Worse, the other had seen him and in making it back to safety, he'd managed to drop his lightsaber.

Now he listened in fear as the droid paced noisily closer, each clank of its feet seeming to prophesise doom.

But Anakin wasn't done yet, many a foe had made the mistake of under estimating him when he was seemingly at his lowest, and he was determined to make sure that this was one such occasion.

He peered out from behind the crane, and immediately sprang back as a flood of plasma bolts fizzed through the air where his head had just been. Hoping that that constituted as a slight distraction, he sprinted across the small gap to a derelict shuttle he had just been eyeing off. Plasma tracked in his direction, but he reached the shelter of the wreck unscathed.

The steady clank of the droid approaching filled the hanger again, and Anakin desperately tried to think of a way to fight back.

In the end, his plan was simple but effective. Reaching out through the Force, he located a piece of scrap on the other side of the room, and gave it a sharp prod, sending it skittering across the floor.

The Droid span around and belched more of the plasma shots at the sound, meanwhile, Anakin poked his head out for half a second, trying to locate his lightsaber. The Droid seemed to quickly realise that there was nothing there though, and rapidly turned back towards Anakin.

Feeling brave, and in retrospect, probably slightly foolish, Anakin leapt over the shuttle before the droid could line him up again, smacking the droid's head with his sole. The Droid was mostly unphased though, and it was Anakin that had to make a speedy retreat, only just making the safety of the wrecked Starfighter from the earlier smash before the air around his was once again filled with burning plasma.

But far across to his right as he landed, out in the middle of the floor, his lightsaber rested; several metres away from any cover.

As the clanks of the droid once again grew closer, Anakin made his last roll of the dice. Grasping the weapon with the force, he threw it towards the other side of the clearing. As the droid turned to investigate the noise, Anakin stepped onto the rubble he was hiding behind, causing it to crumple loudly, and the droid turned back again, Anakin leapt, landing behind the modified rescuer droid just as his lightsaber reached the same point.

The droid brought the muzzle of its plasma gun to bear, and Anakin leapt one last time, performing a close summersault over the top of the droid's head, his lightsaber flashing even as the droid fired at him…

Anakin landed in a roll as the sparking remains of the former rescue droid crashed to the floor. A few of its damaged components skittering across the floor. He let out a shuddering sigh before he broke down into a quivering mess of post adrenaline shock and relief, tears falling from his face.

It was this scene that the four older Jedi arrived to. Anakin sobbing and shivering uncontrollably amid the ruins of several spacecraft and battle droids, and the body of Sandy Ger'whit crumpled near the foot of the boarding ramp to the little ship that had brought the infiltrators. Garen ran straight away to his apprentice, while Qui-Gon approached his own at a pace little more restrained.

"Anakin?" He asked gently, putting a hand on his padawan's shoulder.

"I destroyed them both." He said with anguish, "But they were so fast, there was so much… I'd never faced something like it."

Qui-Gon nodded grimly, "They were made especially to kill Jedi by the sounds of things. And it seems they succeeded." He added, glancing over to where Garen was numbly covering the body of his apprentice with his cloak.

"Lawrence?"

"Let's take you to the healers; get you checked out." Said Qui-Gon by way of answer, seeing dozens of burns from near misses and glancing blows dotted about his apprentices clothes.

"What about Obi-Wan?" Asked Anakin, "This was his ship… is he.. okay?"

"Yes, he's fine. He contacted me to warn me about the danger, I'm sorry that I was too late."

"Qui-Gon, Padawan Skywalker." Said Mace as he approached them, he turned to Anakin, "What you did was very brave, Skywalker." He said, much to the surprise of the young man, "We will of course want to interview him later, Qui-Gon, but there will be plenty of time for that later—go and get him checked out."

"We were just going." Nodded Qui-Gon, guiding his padawan away with a hand between his shoulder blades.

* * *

**AN: Abrupt end I know, but it really seemed like the best place to leave it.**

**Just the epilogue to go then I slap the complete sticker on it.**


	16. E P I L O G U E

FALLENFUTURE2

**[Probation]**

* * *

**Jedi Kay-Kenobi** -XD, 'fraid so.

**Holly-Batali - **Yes, it was rather violent, wasn't it? Unfortunately, I decided that I really didn't like the Lawrence character (being as he was a shameless self insert) and I realised early on in the planning, that the bad guys never actually succeed with anything is this story; so I decided that I would kill 2 birds with 1 stone and bump him off. It's actually 1 of the better scenes I've done IMO, I really should have given it some proper time rather than shoehorning it in here at the end, but such is life.

Well, only 2 reviews for the last chapter. Can't say I'm not disappointed, but, what can you do?

* * *

-Probation-

EPILOGUE

And There After

_-"Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are henceforth officially recognised by this council as master to Padawan Darra Thel-Tanis." __**—Master Mace Windu**_

⁂

The Jedi Temple mourns the loss of another one of its members inside its own walls. Though regrettably, Jedi dying on missions is not as rare an event as everyone would like, much rarer is the death of a Jedi—a padawan no less— within the temple walls.

And yet six Jedi have been killed inside the temple within the last year, a number not seen since the terrorist Bhan Kreller smuggled a bomb into the temple some five hundred years before.

Following the second invasion of the temple within six months, the Jedi Council quickly announces sweeping changes to the security setup in the temple, introducing extra security checks and posting extra personal to all of the temple's entrances. The council also applies to the senate for a grant to spend five hundred million credits on upgrading the Temple's camera surveillance, and exterior defence equipment, it is the largest application for money that the council has made in generations, and it takes the senate four years for the application to be processed.

The Jedi council is surprised when Obi-Wan steps forward after his debriefing, and claims Darra as a padawan. In fact, the whole temple is shocked. Both the padawan and the master are interviewed separately, and both are in agreement that it feels like the will of the Force.

Darra tells the council of seeing Obi-Wan's mind clearly for the first time, and for the first time realises that any _real_ blame that she had given Obi-Wan had long since vanished, and that only the poison dregs of self regret had remained.

Obi-Wan for his part, had informes the council, that though he had never considered taking an apprentice until directly before the mission—and even then not seriously—feels that it is the will of the Force that Darra be trained, and that he was the only one who had been willing to see past the darkness that had clouded her.

If the council had any objections, they keep them to themselves, and the official ceremony is held to cement Darra Thel-Tanis as Obi-Wan Kenobi's padawan. It is a solemn moment, held the same day as Lawrence 'Sandy' Ger'whit's funeral, but neither have any regrets. Obi-Wan knows that the times will be hard, that she will test him even as he had tested his own master, but that she will become a fine Jedi, and he will be proud to see the day she is knighted.

On Sor'udeina, Ohreithyn Kenobi looks at the stars, wondering which one of them is the Coruscant system. Her encounter with her brother has sparked something within herself; once again the flame, the wish to try to make the planet a better place is alight, and she remembers with a smile, that she had surprised her superiors by turning up early for work for the first time in almost six months and proceeding to accomplish more today, than she had in the previous week. Already her baring has changed, she knows that she holds herself with the same enthusiasm that she had had before the attack on Nar Shaddar, and her eyes appear brighter.

She has much to be thankful for—thankful to her brother.

And yet, she feels a sense of loss that her older brother who she had wanted to meet from the as long as she could remember, the brother who she had crossed paths with by chance, and who had left just as suddenly. Who knew how long it would be before they crossed paths again.

Her eyes lock into one star which seems to call to her more than any of the others in the sky. Against all reason, she is sure that it is Coruscant. Where her brother is.

Where she is certain once again that her political career is destined to take her.

* * *

⁂

* * *

A young padawan shivers in bed.

Never had Anakin feared for his life more than today. Not even while facing Obi-Wan as Ken. The droids' firepower, speed and accuracy had never allowed to him go on the offensive; his preferred method for fighting. And the ease with which they had mown down Lawrence right in front of him had been a sobering revelation of just how dangerous they were.

Many knights and masters have come forward, saying that his victory over the droids was a testament to his training; but he knows the truth.

He has _failed_.

He failed to ascertain the danger until too late, and then, failed to protect Sandy, failed to keep his fear and anger under check.

Because he wasn't strong enough… wasn't fast enough…

Wasn't _good_ enough.

In the dark of his sleeping chamber, he makes a promise to himself that he'll never let anyone down by not being good enough again. There will not be another Sandy Ger'Whit, not while he has any say in the matter.

It's the first of many, many promises of a similar kind.

He will not fail again.

* * *

⁂

* * *

In a space shuttle drifting in deep space, Granta Omega snarls as he reads the report from Coruscant Holo News. His highly modified, very deadly, and very _expensive_ rescue droids had only managed to kill _one_ puny _padawan_.

The idea had come to him over a year ago for the seemingly innocuous, but secretly deadly recovery droids. It had been elementary for someone with his connections to locate a droid mechanic with a familiarity with the particular model in question, and even easier to convince him to make the necessary modifications; people with debts were so depressingly easy to manipulate. It was such a _pity_ that the man had been involved in a speeder accident not long after finishing his work.

Omega's plans rarely worked so seamlessly, and he'd been waiting for an opportunity to deploy them ever since. The event of Sor'udeina had been too good an opportunity to miss.

And yet miss it he had!

But infuriating as it was—not only that the droids had failed, but that he'd also failed to empower himself with the gift of the Force—it was not all bad. He had managed to escape capture by the Jedi despite their best efforts, and he had used only one of his plans.

Omega has many plans. Plans within plans, plans straightforward, and downright complicated. Schemes that require millions of credits, and those involving the unwitting assistance of people he's never even met! His quest to avenge his father's death is far from realised. Nor will it be until every single Jedi is dead and buried.

Oh yes, Omega has many plans...

And even as he gazes out the view port, other plans are afoot: his comlink rings shrilly.

"Granta Omega." Says the being at the other end of the call, not even waiting to him to confirm that that is indeed the one speaking. "I was most impressed by your plan to infiltrate the Jedi Temple. It's a shame for you that it did not succeed." The voice is calm and silky, but with a murky undertone of venom that would send anyone with self preservation instincts to run screaming for the hills. Omega knows instantly and instinctively that this is a man used to getting what he wants, and someone who would be extremely dangerous to cross.

But then, he is dangerous in his own way.

"Who is this?" He demands harshly, not giving the mysterious being the satisfaction of even the slightest fear.

"A friend." Dismisses the caller, and Omega can almost _hear_ the lurid smile, "One with whom there would be sincere advantage in cooperating with. You and I have many... _views_ of which we share. I am not one to skirt around the Sarlaac, and I sense that neither are you, so I'll be direct. How would you like to do some _serious _damage to the Jedi?"

Omega's eyes narrow. He's not a fool; he knows exactly what the seemingly straight forward question is, and he's more than willing to rise to the challenge.

"Tell me more." He says.

The End

* * *

For now?

* * *

**And once again we finish with an introspection from the bad guys, I'll bet you ten bucks you can't guess who he's talking to... er, actually on second thoughts: no I won't. That's a tad obvious.**

**I'm keen to start on the next book, however, I think I will wait until I've written a bit before I start posting it, instead of the way I've done the last two where I'm constantly pushing myself to have to scrape the chapter together to get it posted; even when the qualities not there. Hopefully this way I can just skip a few chapters and come back later, and still have plenty of time.  
**

**The next part will take part during Attack of the Clones, and I get to try a hand at something that I'm always really picky about with other authors: how do you do an AU which follows the same general story line but isn't just a rewrite with characters having dialogue swapped around randomly and characters behaving like other ones just for the sake of the circumstances (I can't see Qui-Gon leaping out a window, sorry). We'll see how I go... see if I can avoid being a  
**


End file.
